23-06-2026 | di COOPI

Syria. The Italian ambassador visits the COOPI project in Yabroud

On 13 June, Italy's Ambassador to Syria, Stefano Ravagnan, visited one of the schools supported by COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale ETS in Yabroud, in the Rural Damascus area. The school is among those that benefited from the project "Your Education, Your Future – Education for Girls and Boys in Yabroud and Douma", funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI) through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), which was completed in April 2025.

More than a year after the project's formal completion, Ambassador Ravagnan had the opportunity to witness its lasting impact and tangible results through meetings with the school community and local authorities.

Stefano Ravagnan, Italy's Ambassador to Syria, said:

The visit to the school in Yabroud confirmed that investing in education means investing in Syria's future. It is especially meaningful to see that, more than a year after the project's completion, its results continue to deliver concrete benefits for students, teachers and local communities. Italy is proud to support initiatives like this, which provide real opportunities for younger generations and contribute to the country's recovery.

Davide Prata, COOPI's Head of Mission in Syria, added:

We are grateful to Ambassador Stefano Ravagnan for his visit and to AICS for its continued support. This intervention has demonstrated how essential it is to join forces to restore dignity and safety to educational spaces, enabling more than 4,200 students and 230 teachers to move forward. Italy's support is crucial to ensuring that we can continue standing alongside these communities affected by the crisis.

The initiative aimed to improve access to safe and stimulating learning environments for students and teaching staff affected by the crisis. To achieve this, COOPI implemented an integrated package of interventions, including the rehabilitation of school buildings and furniture, the provision of teaching materials and school kits, teacher training courses, and psychosocial support activities. Overall, the project reached more than 4,400 direct beneficiaries and 15,000 indirect beneficiaries, including families and the wider local community.

Continuing the work: the "Almruneh" project

COOPI and AICS remain committed to the region, ensuring continuity in their support for vulnerable populations. On 3 December 2025, the new project "Almruneh – Emergency Education and Protection Initiative Providing Inclusive and Quality Services for Girls and Boys in Hama and Rural Damascus" was launched and will run until 2 June 2027.

Also funded by MAECI through AICS, the project aims to reduce the vulnerability caused by the humanitarian crisis in Syria. Its specific objective is to strengthen the protection of the most vulnerable population groups and promote community resilience in the sub-districts of Yabroud, An Nabk and Harasta (Rural Damascus), as well as Muhradh sub-district (Hama).

The project includes interventions to improve access to inclusive, high-quality educational infrastructure, alongside an integrated child protection response for at-risk children and support for their parents and caregivers. This new initiative is expected to reach 9,834 direct beneficiaries (including 7,765 children, 2,069 adults and 400 persons with disabilities) and approximately 200,000 indirect beneficiaries, including residents and host communities across the target areas.