For Baytna, Every Day is Human Rights Day

December 10, 2022 - Upholding human rights has been an essential element of Baytna's work and approach since its creation. As individuals or part of the Syrian civil society organizations, the Baytna team members are defenders of human rights, and their continuous efforts are strengthening a culture of personal and collective rights and freedoms.

In an environment where human rights are a dream for many, Baytna is keen on supporting these rights on the ground by dedicated funding, promoting local civil society actions, training, building capacities, and encouraging revival elements.

This can be seen in every brick of Baytna’s foundations, in every project Baytna has launched and then developed closely with its implementers. From supporting grassroots organizations to working with Syrian students in exile, to fostering and working alongside women's organizations. Among the many partners we are proud to have supported, here are some of the stories of Syrians working to uphold human rights in all aspects of life.

Midad Alinsanya is an organization Baytna has supported since its launch as it grew to become a hub for other small organizations in northeastern Syria. They now work to secure trainings and workshops, giving people the opportunity to gain skills and find jobs, and become leaders in civil society and politics.

"Five years ago, we had small dreams of rising with our society and supporting every individual to gain fundamental human rights after years of endless war. Today, with the constant help of Baytna, we became a big organization, a resort, and a hand to support and help many organizations sharing the same vision, goals, and dreams," said Abdulsalam Alhijazi, Midad Alinsanya’s director.

Through our work with Syrian students in exile, for example, Baytna provided a safe space for them to express their opinions and a platform to get more of the education they are thriving for, as many of them did not even have proper places to study, being residents of the camps in Lebanon. They went through many stages, learned from our trainers, shared their experiences, developed their skills, and now many of them are preparing to launch educational platforms of their own.

Sara Al Hussein, a 20-year-old student with the Baytna Outline program in Lebanon, said: "My right to a proper education was confiscated by the regime through its war on the Syrian people. I suddenly found myself in a strange country with no papers, unable to continue my studies. Although I am not at the university and am not studying engineering as I wanted, the courses I received from Baytna helped me stay connected and gave me knowledge of civil society and ways to pursue my goals in the future."

The Female Change Makers were and still are one of our prominent partners in their work with Syrian women. They started as trainees with Baytna to build their capacities and develop their strategies, as an organization looking forward to creating a space for women to learn, thrive, share, and lead. Now, the Female Change Makers are networking with other partnering organizations all around Syria, using their expertise and conducting a series of trainings aimed at strengthening women's roles and empowering them in society, through community leadership and peacebuilding.

In one of their comments on our Facebook page, the Female Change Makers wrote: "Baytna organization built the Female Change Makers from scratch until we reached an advanced stage with our work and goals, through great trainings and support."

Bit by bit, project by project, and day after day, Baytna continues to promote human rights principles for all Syrians wherever they are, as they look forward to gaining their most basic right: the right to a life of dignity and freedom in their beloved country. On this Human Rights Day, we think of them and of all those around the world fighting for their rights.