A Working Model: Can Community Initiatives Drive Development in Syria?

With Syrians eager to breathe life back into their shattered cities and hasten early recovery, community initiatives to support urban development projects have emerged as a practical step to push forward the massive and lengthy reconstruction effort.

While the launch of a full-scale rebuilding effort remains tied to international calculations despite the country’s urgent need, Syrians have found that improving basic services in their cities is a pressing priority, and that grassroots fundraising is its primary driver.

Community Initiatives

The new Syrian government inherited a collapsed economy after more than five decades of authoritarian rule, capped by fourteen years of systematic urban destruction.

With the state budget strained, local communities have found themselves forced to identify needs and set priorities, rebuilding infrastructure piece by piece in ways that improve living conditions and create faster steps toward stability.

After the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024, the scale of devastation became clear. Widespread destruction left services in ruins and infrastructure absent, compounding challenges to stability and the return of displaced residents and refugees.

Large swaths of Syria remain uninhabitable. Entire neighborhoods in Damascus’s suburbs, eastern Aleppo, Damascus, Idlib, Homs, ar-Raqqah, and Deir ez-Zor lie in rubble, while some villages have been wiped off the map.

The absence of clean water, electricity, healthcare, and education adds complexity to efforts at reintegration.

Still, hope for a better future in the new Syria has fueled grassroots development drives across the provinces, creating local models that may serve as building blocks for longer-term growth.

In Homs, the provincial administration and the Ministry of Culture, in cooperation with the Molham Volunteering Team, held the “Homs Wednesday” conference on August 13, 2025. The event showcased fundable development projects addressing needs in water, education, and public services.

The conference marked a practical step within a wider development push aimed at supporting recovery and restoring vitality to the central province after years of devastation.

Organizers said the gathering raised about $13 million.

Soon after, residents of Daraa province launched the “Abshiri Houran” campaign on August 30, 2025, another grassroots initiative designed to support local development. Donations from the community surpassed $40 million.

At an event held at the Roman theater in the historic city of Bosra, Finance Minister Mohammed Yasser Bernia announced a government contribution of $10 million. Among the largest private donors was billionaire Moafaq Qaddah, who pledged $10 million to help revive his home province.

In eastern Syria, residents of Deir ez-Zor launched the “Deir al Izz” campaign on September 11, 2025. The drive aims to raise $25 million to fund public service and development projects in a province where more than 80% of infrastructure has been destroyed.

The campaign includes contributions from residents inside and outside Syria, along with businessmen and national organizations.

‘The Urgent Part’

The current focus of local communities is on priority projects such as restoring water wells, repairing schools, equipping hospitals with modern medical devices, and improving public services. Experts say this effort represents one of the basic building blocks ahead of the long and difficult reconstruction.

Estimates for rebuilding Syria range between $250 billion and $400 billion. More than half of the country’s 24 million people remain displaced, 90% live below the poverty line, and 16.7 million (75% of the population) required humanitarian assistance in 2024, according to the United Nations.

Researcher and economic analyst Radwan al-Debs said the grassroots initiatives now underway in some provinces cannot cover the immense cost of reconstruction, which requires a coalition of states and international organizations as well as time.

“The local campaigns can cover the urgent part of reconstruction for destroyed cities,” he told Al-Estiklal.

“Such efforts could encourage larger international organizations, UN agencies, and global charities to engage in Syria’s rebuilding process.”

Al-Debs noted that transparency and clear plans are needed to ensure donations are directed toward urgent needs, which must first be assessed by local authorities.

Ahead of these campaigns, local organizations worked with government institutions to evaluate proposed projects and set priorities.

Funds raised through these initiatives, he said, should be directed to projects that touch daily life, such as hospitals, schools, and water services.

Each province has appointed a board of trustees made up of community leaders to safeguard the donations in a dedicated fund coordinated with local authorities.

Transparency First

Many observers stress that transparency is essential at this stage and in such initiatives, whose success could provide momentum for reconstruction.

Radwan al-Debs said transparency and accountability in all stages of these fundraising campaigns can encourage new initiatives in Syrian provinces, particularly when donations produce results that inspire more generous giving.

He said these campaigns also send a message abroad that Syrian civil society is capable of reviving essential services despite the government’s financial weakness.

Al-Debs added that none of the funds should be diverted to administrative expenses that reduce their impact. Some organizations take between 20 and 40% of donations for administrative and logistical costs, he said, which is an issue that must be addressed as global charities and aid agencies factor such spending into their assessments before backing projects.

Individual and collective initiatives launched by Syrians after the fall of the Assad regime showed the strength of civic spirit as a driver for recovery.

Cities across Syria have seen large street-cleaning efforts, wall painting, and public-space renovations, reflecting a spirit of cooperation among residents and expatriates eager to revive their hometowns after years of destruction.

Syrian journalist Omar Alhariri, originally from Daraa, noted that while the “Abshiri Houran” campaign was seen as a drive to fund schools, healthcare, and water projects, what happened behind the scenes was even greater.

“Everything was voluntary, from the team that planned and set priorities and projects to the team that studied people’s needs and mapped out the work, as well as teams for design, live broadcasting, and websites,” he added on X.

Alhariri noted that there was also “a cybersecurity team monitoring technical vulnerabilities to protect the campaign, as well as an information team that carefully collected and coordinated the data.”

“This effort was not just about donations; it was a historic lesson in unity, showing that what brings people together is greater than any circumstance and that the potential within the country’s people can rebuild from scratch.”