Simple infrastructure improvements build resilience

Syria | 2025 | CBPF

Syria, Samrada. “The bus is often late, and I have to wait for a long time,” says Mohammed, who fled fighting elsewhere in Syria to make a new life here.

The protracted crisis in Syria — driven by ongoing hostilities, economic instability, and prolonged environmental shocks — continues to take a heavy toll, with 16.7 million people identified as needing assistance in 2024.

In Dana sub-district, a densely populated area hosting many people, like Mohammed, displaced by the war, the town’s infrastructure is under growing strain. No regular maintenance, damaged systems, and poor drainage floods the roads in winter.

And many people face a long bus journey to work, school, health care, or wherever they need to go.

As infrastructure crumbles, people also struggle. SARD conducted a Rapid Needs Assessment in the district revealing that 71% of households struggled to meet their needs, while 29% could not meet them at all.

With funding from the Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund, local NGO Syrian Association for Relief and Development (SARD) built shaded bus stops to make people’s daily lives a bit easier; part of a larger resilience package aimed at helping people recover from war, earthquake, and severe weather – and build back better.

This assistance helped people to access essential services and put the Samrada community in the driver’s seat.

A committee of displaced people and locals identified key rehabilitation priorities, including the urgent need for bus stops.

“I can stand under it when I go to school, and especially on rainy days, it’s more comfortable,” explains Mouena, an adult student.

"The bus stop locations were selected in coordination with the Directorate of Transport and the local authority. They are strategically placed at key intersections where people naturally gather and near essential facilities like schools to ensure accessibility and efficiency,” explains SARD Infrastructure Coordinator, Nafeh Zahra.

Inclusivity was a cornerstone of the bus stop design. Each bus stop includes a designated area without a seat, allowing wheelchair users to comfortably wait under the shelter.

The bus stop initiative was one component of the larger resilience-building programme, which aimed to reduce winter risks, lessen flood impact, and strengthen people’s future preparedness in an uncertain environment.

The project also made direct repairs to sewage and drainage systems in the town, to address winter flooding and increase access to safe water. A cash assistance component provided immediate cash aid to vulnerable families.

General infrastructure improvements, like the bus stops, have made a tangible difference in people’s everyday lives as well as building trust. "It is good to have a place to sit down: I’m less tired and anxious about delays, and the shelter protects us from the weather,” says Mohammed.

Based on an original story from SARD

More information on the Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund

Pooled Fund impact stories

Published March 2025