How a young and by no means reckless nerd almost accidentally became a passionate activist and world citizen: that, in sum, is the story of Khaled Shaaban (34), the driving force behind Roia. This Levantine IT organization has saved lives by providing war zones with internet, telecommunications, software and computer education. This year, he visited the Netherlands. ‘We had no mission, we just fell into it.’

A signal of optimism and humanity

This report by ROIA presents an insight into the infrastructure needs in war-torn areas of the Middle East and represents an output for a project conducted by a consortium of NGOs on behalf of the UNDP. This report will serve as the foundation for community discussions with expert stakeholders and help ROIA identify viable, sustainable infrastructure pilot projects. In the interest of coordination and information sharing, ROIA has opted to share its finding publicly.<hr>&nbsp;Seven years of conflict have taken a heavy toll on the local social and economic infrastructure. In A'zaz, there is practically no area of infrastructure that is not in need of urgent attention. Nonetheless, it is still possible to identify infrastructure priority needs for the residents of the region, namely water, power and medical infrastructure. Water infrastructure has been significantly degraded in the region. Most of the main water networks have been damaged beyond use and supply is insufficient even for the areas that are reached. Most inhabitants rely on water drawn from sunk wells and trucked in but again the volume is insufficient to meet the needs of all who reside in the region. Of equal concern is the cleanliness of the water, with a general perception that the water is not safe for consumption. There is currently no centralized power infrastructure. As a consequence of the conflict, this region was cut-off from the main power network and has had to exist off-grid and nearly all power in the area is supplied by privately owned generators that are costly to run. In many respects, the lack of affordable and reliable power exacerbates other infrastructure problems, leaving water treatment plants idle, and hospitals and schools in darkness. However, local authorities have reached an agreement to contract the private Turkish firm, Al-Bab, to supply the region with electricity.Both schools and medical facilities have been damaged and, while some have been completely destroyed, most of the pre-conflict structures are still standing and generally functional. The biggest issue is the severe lack of supplies, equipment and trained staff. Moreover, the constant flow of IDPs into the region has placed additional strain on the limited capacity of these facilities. The shelter situation has also been heavily affected by the large influx of IDPs. Much of the housing in the area has been damaged, with approximately 10% of homes unlivable. The steady increase of people moving into the area as they flee violence has meant that demand for housing has far outstripped supply. Monthly rent for homes and rooms is now largely unaffordable for many residents. Waste and sanitation, while still a problem, are not regarded to be too severe. The region has adequate toilet coverage and household waste can either be dumped in designated landfills or collected via free public service. While not ideal, these issues are not considered a priority. Finally, markets and communications have been remarkably resilient. While the road network has been damaged, the proximity to Turkey has meant that goods are still finding a way into the region and market activity is somewhat healthy. Likewise, the introduction of Turkish cellular networks and mobile data has more than covered the damage done to traditional communications services.

This report by ROIA presents an insight into the infrastructure needs in the Levant and represents an output for a project conducted by a consortium of NGOs on behalf of the UNDP. This report will serve as the foundation for community discussions with expert stakeholders in the Middle East and help ROIA identify viable, sustainable infrastructure pilot projects. In the interest of coordination and information sharing, ROIA has opted to share its finding publicly.
In many war-torn areas in the Middle East, there is a lack of current, publicly available data for NGOs and agencies to use to inform their programming. Preliminary desk research revealed few sources of needs data collected within the last 12 months and that which did exist was almost exclusively purposive and not statistically representative.
Given the limited time and resources allocated to conduct primary data collection, ROIA also opted to employ qualitative and purposive methods, namely Key Informant Interviews (KIIs). These interviews were conducted over the month of August 2018 with community stakeholders with the authority to talk about infrastructure matters.

Insights from Power, Water, Shelter, School, Medical, Waste, Market and Communications Infrastructure

Infrastructure Overview

Ook ik bekeek tijdens het IDFA de documentaire The Cave, waarover Sylva van Rosse eerder op deze site schreef. Een vrijwel ondergronds ziekenhuis werd zes jaar lang belegerd. Het was het langste beleg in de moderne geschiedenis. Het jaren geleden door het regime opgerichte ziekenhuis was een ijzersterk gebouw. Na het uitbreken van de revolutie ging het weliswaar dicht, maar de oppositie nam het weer in gebruik - dankzij de Union Medical Office, een van de twee lokale medische organisaties. Mede door zijn stevigheid bleef het gebouw in bedrijf, ondanks herhaalde bombardementen. Maar er was nog een andere reden dat het ziekenhuis zo lang stand hield: creatieve telecommunicatie in een gebied waar het regime alle reguliere verbindingen moedwillig onklaar had gemaakt.&nbsp;Geweld en menselijkheid<a href="http://www.hetgrotemiddenoostenplatform.nl/idfa-toont-geweld-en-hoop-in-syrie/">Waar Sylva van Rosse het heeft over geweld en hoop</a>, denk ik aan geweld en menselijkheid. In de eerste plaats dompelt The Cave je 100 minuten lang onder in de ellende van de oorlog, met een aaneenrijging van bombardementen, zwaargewonden, doden, onpeilbaar verdriet, en verwoesting. Maar ook is er die menselijkheid. Dr. Amani, Dr. Salim en hun team zijn onvermoeibaar in hun inzet om patiënten en medewerkers te helpen, en om in al deze onvoorstelbare onmenselijkheid, vanuit puur humane motieven het best mogelijke te doen. Hun families trekken aan hen om een veilig heenkomen te zoeken, maar het team blijft om mensen bij te staan. Dat betekent in de praktijk non-stop hulpverlening. Toch valt er heel af en toe ook wat te vieren. Als dr. Amani haar 30-jarige verjaardag viert, trakteert &nbsp;haar team haar op zelfgemaakte popcorn, salade en ballonnen van rubber handschoenen. Er is een tekort aan alles, eten en medicijnen, dus is dit een heel bijzonder feestje. En ook weer een bewijs van menselijkheid.Dr. Amani is voor mij ook een voorbeeld van een sterke vrouw. Ze weet wat ze wil en laat zich niet uit het veld slaan door patriarchale structuren. De documentaire laat subtiel zien hoe zij zich staande houdt en gesteund wordt door collega dr. Salim.&nbsp;NGO Roia zorgde voor telecommunicatie verbindingen voor de medische zorg Zeer onder de indruk van de documentaire keerde ik huiswaarts. En toen bleek er nog een interessant staartje aan te zitten. Ik zit in het bestuur van <a href="http://www.roia.org/">Roia</a> , een NGO die ontstaan is in het hart van de Syrische oorlog en ‘ICT for Goodness’ als missie heeft. De oprichter van Roia, Khaled Shaaban en zijn ICT-vrienden, verzorgden voor alle 45 ziekenhuizen, inclusief the Cave, de telecommunicatie. The Cave was een van de eerste ziekenhuizen die zij vanaf september 2012 bedienden met hun (geheime) telecommunicatiediensten – geheim, ja, omdat het regime alle verbindingen had afgesloten en later zelfs zou verwoesten. Hierdoor konden hulpdiensten en ziekenhuizen elkaar niet bereiken, wat de dienstverlening ernstig in gevaar bracht.Eind 2012 sloot Roia een overeenkomst om alle 45 ziekenhuizen en 35 ambulances van teelcommunicatie te voorzien. Tot maart 2018 verzorgde Roia de volgende diensten:1. Internet om te kunnen communiceren met de buitenwereld.2. Daarna ook lokale verbindingen via VOIP, door middel van walkie-talkies voor de mensen in het veld. Op deze manier kon er lokaal worden gecommuniceerd, zodat, bijvoorbeeld, ambulances direct naar het ziekenhuis konden gaan waar de juiste specialist was, of waar plaats was. Deze dienst heette het Emergency Medical System (EMS)3. Ook was er een probleem met het uitwisselen van patiëntinformatie. Was een patiënt al dan niet besmet met HIV? Roia verzorgde lokale diensten voor data-uitwisseling die geen internetverbinding nodig hadden.‘Dit was geen luxe, maar absolute noodzaak,’ aldus Khaled Shaaban., die, voor hij bij dit werk betrokken raakte, niet eens een echte activist was. ‘We konden niet anders.’<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="/uploads/ambulance_and_staff_1000x667_1_d8100acdd6.jpeg"></figure>Na een maandenlange strijd werd tijdens het grote offensief in maart 2018, Oost-Ghouta ingenomen door het regime. <a href="https://www.roia.org/emergency-medical-system-action-regime-offensive/">EMS ging helaas ten onder</a>.En nu? Khaled Shaaban kijkt positief terug op deze tijd. Zijn team heeft kunnen bijdragen aan het redden van levens. Dagen van 20 uur waren normaal en het was een kat- en muisspel met het regime om alles aan de gang te houden. Trots overheerst. Het moest gebeuren, het kon niet anders. Nog altijd luidt de missie van Roia: ‘ICT for Goodness’. De vraag die de organisatie zichzelf telkens weer stelt is: wat kun je doen met je eigen vaardigheden en hoe kun je die zo goed mogelijk inzetten? Hoe, nogmaals, kun je bijdrage aan het redden – of verbeteren – van levens?Ondertussen zet Roia ook al jaren ICT-academies op waar burgers ICT-vaardigheden leren, met als ultiem doel om zelf inkomen te generen. Die academies fluctueren, want&nbsp; de vraag waar Roia kan werken, hangt sterk van de politieke situatie. Het feit dat Roia altijd onpartijdig is geweest in dit conflict doet daar niets aan af: werken in oppositiegebied wordt namelijk gezien als een keuze tegen het regime. In de loop der jaren heeft Roia honderden mannen en vrouwen getraind in ICT-vaardigheden. <a href="https://www.roia.org/youth/">Bijvoorbeeld in de (inmiddels verwoeste) Maharat ICT Academy in Oost-Ghouta</a>.Roia is ondanks het vertrek uit Oost-Ghouta allesbehalve vleugellam. Een recent succes is de &nbsp;overeenkomst die is gesloten met <a href="https://humansintheloop.org/">NGO Humans in The Loop</a>. Veertig studenten hebben een opleiding aan een van de ICT-academies van Roia afgerond, en zijn nu aan het werk om freelance opdrachten uit te voeren voor deze organisatie. Concreet betekent dit dat ze een sprong in inkomen hebben gemaakt van minder dan 30 euro per maand naar 150 euro per maand: een geweldige impact op de levens van deze mensen. En een prachtig voorbeeld van bijdragen aan de Sustainable Development Goals, concreet: 1. Geen armoede en 8. Waardig werk en economische groei.Kortom: ICT for Goodness werkt. Roia gaat door.

Ook ik bekeek tijdens het IDFA de documentaire The Cave, waarover Sylva van Rosse eerder op deze site schreef. Een vrijwel ondergronds ziekenhuis werd zes jaar lang belegerd.

Dafne van Baarle is arabiste, heeft haar eigen adviesbureau en is voorzitter van een ngo actief in het Midden-Oosten op het snijvlak van ict en onderwijs.

Hoe het ziekenhuis in docu The Cave ook bleef werken door creatieve communicatie

The Roia Foundation developed an integrated educational program to empower disadvantaged youth with competitive ICT skills to facilitate access to reliable livelihood opportunities. This project represents the second phase of the Maharat Academy. Local authorities called for a comprehensive response to provide long term educational and livelihood opportunities to vulnerable groups, especially Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs). Besides this, the city’s location, infrastructural and administrative situation facilitate the strategic creation of a hub to reach more beneficiaries. During the first month of the project’s implementation, Roia rehabilitated and furnished a new educational center with digital equipment, a power generating system, solar panels and childcare rooms. By the 25th of November 2018, the center was fully equipped and operative. In parallel, Roia launched four sub-activities, including online and physical promotional campaigns, online recruitment and selection, transportation and safety planning and kick-off sessions to introduce students to the program and encourage discussions. 



The second phase of the project  (November 2018 - January 2019) saw the beneficiaries participating in  job-oriented training in digital skills. The curriculums varied according to the participants’ initial knowledge and skills, to include web design and digital marketing, digital literacy for professional productivity, accelerated freelancing training and freelance jump-start workshops. During the first two sessions, additional training hours were provided to increase the beneficiaries’ knowledge in professional English. Throughout the duration of the project, Roia actively conducted networking activities to identify potential partners in the private sector that could offer traineeship opportunities. 
Despite security concerns resulting in the early suspension of the activities, Maharat- Academy successfully reached 232 disadvantaged youth, half of whom were IDPs. Over 80% of them demonstrated a 60% increase in ICT skills between pre-intervention and post-intervention tests.

Progress Report: Maharat Academy

Subul is an employability and education project implemented in multiple locations - including Estonia, Turkey, and across the Levantine region - to help refugees and disadvantaged youth find suitable livelihood opportunities. With the generous support of  our mission partners, Kahane Foundation, Humans in the loop, Asfari Foundation and Baytna, as well as several mission-driven private enterprises, Subul has grown  to provide disadvantaged youth with long-term, fair job opportunities in the ICT sector. 
Facing the health emergency of the last two years, Subul developed new strategies and increased its efforts to show the potential of AI industries and Information Communication Technologies (ICT) in overcoming geographical and health barriers to guarantee livelihood opportunities for the most disadvantaged people. As a result, in the last two years we have expanded our reach to cover 10 locations in the Levant and Turkey, created a network of 20  international mission-driven enterprises and provided more job opportunities in the digital labor market.

This scaling-up process called for new logistical, operational, and internal management strategies. In 2021, Subul inaugurated a new center in the Levant to host our beneficiaries and provide them with fully-equipped and gender sensitive workplaces. As a direct result, we observed an increase in our beneficiaries’ productivity and workplace well-being. 
Subul’s management team developed and identified new strategies and policies to optimize the management of our beneficiaries. A new freelancers’ ranking system, new hiring mechanisms, and the digitalization of internal procedures resulted in  an overall operational optimization. In fact, we implemented more than 119 extensive outsourcing projects in 2021. Besides this, Subul identified challenges and skill mismatches among our beneficiaries, and focused on digital and English vocational training provision to solve them. 
Since day one, Subul has maintained a Gender Plan aiming at improving gender parity in our workforce while advocating for female involvement in the AI sector. These initiatives ranged from developing awareness-raising campaigns to establishing a fully equipped workplace where women can work while feeling safe and respected. By 2021, our Gender Plan led to a 3.2 percent increase in women’s participation.

Annual Report: Subul Outsourcing Hub

The Roia Foundation developed an infrastructure, rehabilitation and livelihood programme for 2018-2019 based on the assessed needs of communities living in the Aleppo governorate of Syria. With the support of  the  UNDP-SYRIA, Bonyan, Sons of War (SOW) and the Urban Research Center (URC), ROIA have successfully implemented five pilot projects for basic Infrastructure Rehabilitation; Local Spatial Planning, Implementation and Livelihoods; village Micro-Credit associations; Sustainable Financing of Vocational Training; Alternative Project Ownership Modalities - Livelihood Grant Support.
During the preparatory phase of the project, the consortium conducted visits, FGDs, and assessments to ensure that the identified solutions were based on capacities, resources, service delivery, productivity and natural resource bases. The consortium also considered their potential stress, social and economic integration, social capital, rights and obligations. A rigorous Stakeholders Analysis was also conducted to identify the most suitable and reliable partner to be engaged in the project. As a result,  an organic network of local actors and authorities,  administrative bodies and organisations were established. 

For Infrastructure Rehabilitation, ROIA conducted a needs assessment to identify the key priority areas in need of rehabilitation. Following several consultations with the consortium and the Cluster Coordinator, ROIA decided upon the rehabilitation of two locations to turn them into functioning community centers for civil society and community participation and empowerment. 
Sustainable Financing of Vocational Training  Based on our market assessment, we identified three gap skills in Azaz: tailoring, mobile and computer maintenance, and food processing. We ultimately decided to provide vocational training sessions in sewing and tailoring for local beneficiaries. Five training centers were identified and provided with resources to create a circular, long-term, and sustainable mechanism of community-oriented and professional vocational training. 
Alternative Project Ownership Modalities - Livelihood Grant Support. Roia identified two local groups: the  youth center “For Human Foundation”, and  the women’s organisation “Souriana Alamal Foundation”. Besides these, a farmers’ group in Azzaz was created in coordination with the “Agriculture Chamber” and “Agricultural Engineers syndicate”. The three groups participated in institutional development, structural organisation, profile preparation, and proposal writing workshops. All of them successfully presented and implemented targeted projects to strengthen local productivity and livelihood opportunities. 
Local Spatial Planning, Implementation and Livelihoods. Fourteen local councils were engaged in workshops and capacity building activities to strengthen communities’ participation in the Spatial Planning and Management Act for communal spatial policy and management.
Village Micro-Credit associations. Two committees from local grass-roots groups received training in financial management, loans and selection criteria, as well as administrative and financial bylaws. The participants successfully applied and obtained small loans to implement their activities. 

Report: Early Recovery & Livelihood (DERL)

The Roia Foundation developed an integrated program to build livelihood opportunities and strengthen access to quality education for communities affected by war and disaster. The pilot phase started in Eastern Levant, in 2016. The second phase of the project started in 2017 thanks to funding from Expertise France, UKAID and Blossom Hill Foundation. The encouraging results and impact of this pilot resulted in the implementation of similar educational and livelihood projects in different locations in the Levant and Turkey. 
During the first phase of the project, The Maharat Academy facility was finalized, fully equipped and operational, to provide the community living in Eastern Ghouta with reliable ICT infrastructure. The facility consisted of 2 training rooms, 1 incubator and 1 conference room, in addition to child minding and transportation services to guarantee gender inclusion and women’s safety. Besides this, we powered our infrastructure with solar panels and committed to paperless operations so we could enhance long-term sustainability and eco-friendly infrastructure.

In phase 3, Roia successfully developed and delivered the following training programs: digital literacy, productivity, web development, English and business communication, entrepreneurship and jumpstart freelancing. These have helped to improve ICT skills among disadvantaged youth and increase labor-market oriented skills. 
As a consequence of the drastic deterioration of the security situation, new measures were included to meet identified needs. These included relocation of projects and personnel and enforced security standards, mid-term adjustments in the curriculums according to the beneficiaries’ initial competencies, specific security, cultural and gender-sensitive measures.

In the mid-term, the project produced relevant spillover effects, such as new collaborations with local female-led organizations; news of our projects had a positive impact on community morale, resulting in higher self-motivation and community-engagement in the program.


Following the encouraging results of the pilot project launched in the Levant, the Roia Foundation developed an integrated program to build livelihood opportunities and strengthen access to quality education for refugees and conflict-affected communities in Turkey. With the generous contribution of the Kahane Foundation, Roia launched Maharat Academy in Istanbul during 2019. In the first phase of the project, Roia conducted needs-assessments and testing activities to assess all processes of the project, the locations’ access as well as the needs of refugee communities residing in Istanbul, Turkey. The second and third phase of the project’s implementation consisted of training activities and networking with the private sector to vet our beneficiaries and create viable job opportunities.

During the piloting phase, Roia identified and selected participants among marginalised communities and refugees living in Turkey. Through the support and in coordination with local NGOs, Roia identified 10 participants, empowered them with IT skills to join the freelance market. The support of our local network of NGOs turned out more effective than digital marketing and social media in reaching refugees and vulnerable groups. Besides this, throughout the first year, we conducted our activities within local NGOs’ facilities and eOffice facilities. This formula gave us the flexibility and accessibility to choose different locations and include different beneficiaries. Parallel to training activities, Roia designed awareness-raising campaigns to inform refugee communities about opportunities in the digital economy. 
During the second and third phase of the project, the Roia Foundation scaled up its activities to expand the project’s reach and engage more people in the mission, while adjusting the training material according to key stakeholders’ needs. As a direct result, Roia successfully  established multiple partnerships with AI and ICT private companies in Europe, US, Turkey and UAE. This allowed us to connect over 70% of our beneficiaries with job opportunities as both freelancers and remote employees. The first outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 resulted in a slight delay in our activities’ which were instead conducted online throughout the second year of the project

Progress Report: Maharat Academy - Turkey 

Maharat Academy – represents the fourth phase of the Maharat Academy Program launched in 2016. The needs assessment and field research conducted in 2019, as a viable operational and strategic place for a new hub of digital education in war-town zones. The Maharat Academy was born, in fact, to empower vulnerable communities, in particular PWDs and IDPs, and build their skills in the ICT field. During the first quarter of the project’s implementation, our field team built up the foundations of this new chapter. 
The preparatory works started three months before the planned implementation of the activities. From July to September 2020, the Maharat team was involved in preparing the center for its training and co-working purposes, getting the Maharat program on its feet, and building the foundations of future activities. These preparations involved installing equipment in the training rooms, acquiring trainers for our education programs, drawing up tailor-made curricula and the launch of online awareness campaigns. As a result, a fully equipped center was operational by early October and the curriculum and training plan for the  first sessions of digital courses were finalized. In October, the Maharat team arranged entrance examinations to identify the first beneficiaries of our program and launched the first digital literacy and g-suite training.

The participation rate for the first month stood at 80%, encouraging us to recruit more students (almost double) and expand our activities. As the number of beneficiaries and trainers increased, the organizational and physical challenges grew also, calling for a new internal strategy and functional reorganization of the Maharat center.  
In parallel, scaling-up required more efforts to guarantee gender parity in our programming. In November, a women-oriented recruitment campaign was conducted to involve more girls and women in our activities and achieve our goal of 50/50 participation rate of both men and women amongst teams, leading roles and beneficiaries.
Throughout the project’s implementation, the media and advocacy team worked constantly to raise awareness among communities about the benefits and opportunities of ICT in guaranteeing livelihood opportunities, and participating in the future’s reconstruction of the country. The almost total absence of information, data and previous cases related to ICT within the context initially hindered our advocacy and awareness-raising strategy but later became one of our program’s strengths. The pioneering nature of Maharat as well as the  encouraging results of the first quarter have constituted the core of our outreach campaigns.


In 2021, Maharat Academy used effective methodology and strategy to reach more disadvantaged youth living in conflict-affected conditions while collecting useful data on VET and ICT education in a post-conflict environment. 
In the second year of the project’s implementation, our team conducted a regional and international labor market assessment to develop our training curriculums and meet the most in-demand ICT jobs requirements. As a result, the Academy hosted more than 20 different training and workshops - including digital literacy, Google tools, Office software package, data collection tools, professional presentation designs, project management software, information security awareness, and personal protection.
In parallel, the Maharat project reached more conflict-affected and disadvantaged youth. The Academy received more than 300 applications throughout the year, of whom 80% respected our minimum attendance rate and consequently received the certificate of completion. All of our beneficiaries successfully passed the final-evaluation test and did not require additional training sessions. 

During the first quarter of the reporting period, our team identified several challenges related to this scaling-up process. In particular, the physical assets were found inadequate to host the new beneficiaries and guarantee equal access to equipment. The training facility required maintenance and renovation, while the limited number of laptops hindered the possibility to conduct simultaneous activities. To tackle these challenges, some beneficiaries were transferred to a new facility from April onwards, while the logistics and technical team worked to provide Maharat Academy with air-conditioned rooms, display screens, and computers. These mid-term adjustments resulted in better performance, results and reported satisfaction. 
Maharat Academy’s efforts to engage women and girls in the program, helping bridge the gender digital divide, have resulted in the achievement of significant and constant results. All the training and activities conducted in 2021 reached the 50/50 participation rate of both men and women, while in some cases, women’s participation was even higher. 
Finally, as part of its strategy to improve digital literacy in post-conflict environments, Maharat media team has worked to collect data on statistics, stories and results. Sharing the stories of our trainees on social media proved to be an impactful strategy to inspire youth and engage communities in our mission.

Annual Report: Maharat Academy

Roia Foundation developed a capacity building and livelihood plan for 2016-2018 based on the assessed needs of the most vulnerable people, including the recently displaced, new returnees, and disadvantaged youth living living in Eastern Levant. Our project was completed thanks to the generous contribution received in early 2016 from UKAID, through Expertise France, and despite rapid deterioration of internal security and political instability. Roia was able to provide support to 5 locally-designed social initiatives and find new sources of external finance for local civil society organisations.  
Phase I of the project was implemented between October 2016 and May 2017, with Phase II between September 2017 and March 2018. Where Phase I focused exclusively on development of the online platform, Phase II focused on creating media materials to promote the online visibility of local social projects.

During phase I, Roia identified and trained a development team among the disadvantaged youth. The team successfully designed and created a digital platform aimed at hosting and promoting grassroots projects with a social impact. In parallel, 4 vulnerable youths (2 women and 2 men) were provided with tailored training in media creation and communication to be gradually integrated in the project’s media team. By the end of phase one, the projects team had conducted mapping and needs assessments to identify legitimate social entrepreneurs and local initiatives. 
During phase II, the Roia Foundation established and engaged an organic and mission-oriented network of local civil society organisations. In partnership and coordination with our network, development team and beneficiaries, we selected 5 social local initiatives and created media materials - including videos promotion materials, articles and photography - to increase their online visibility. As a direct result, 2 local livelihood projects and social initiatives were funded through our platform and successfully implemented. 
Due to the deterioration of security, new project components were included based on lessons learned including access to bank transfers, relocation of projects and new security protocols

Progress Report: Skills Under Siege

The Roia Foundation developed an information and communication infrastructure development programme for human rights protection and freedom of speech. Implemented in the aftermath of regional conflict, FREE WAVES directly addressed censorship practices and lack of reliable infrastructures to guarantee freedom of information and expression among local communities.  

During the first phase of the project, Roia’s team worked to build radio stations and power infrastructure in conflict-affected regions of the Middle East, as radio was the main information source for local communities living amidst the chaos, lack of electricity and destruction. In March 2013,  Roia successfully set up the first FM station covering major cities and countryside. The station was powered by using a combination of solar panels and power generator supported by a set of batteries to ensure consistency of power. 

During the first year of the project implementation, the FM station broadcasts world news channels such as Aljazeera, Al-Arabiya and CNN Arabic. However, due to the lack of adequate power and the security concerns,  the radio couldn’t broadcast more than 6 hours a day. According to the study conducted by Roia’s team, the FM station covered provided access to over 100,000 people to access news and information.

In 2014, Free Waves supported four independent and free radio stations, to create alternative radio shows and broadcast local news and developments.  The same year, the FM station’s capacity was improved with new antennas and extra solar panels. As a direct result, the FM signal was strengthened and the broadcasting hours increased to 8 hours a day. 

In 2016, the radio broadcasted for 12 hours a day and hosted another independent radio station, for a total of 5. In 2016, Free Waves successfully reached 200,000 people who could access reliable news and information. 

In 2018, following the escalation of violence and militarization of the conflict, Roia Foundation was forced to shut down Free Waves, as the protection of our staff  will always come  first. However, for almost 5 years, Free Waves represented the voice of real news and unbiased information for communities in conflict. 

Progress Report: Free Waves

The Roia Foundation developed an information and communication infrastructure development programme for human rights protection and freedom of speech.  Launched in Eastern Ghouta,  theatre of a five-year siege, Beenet project provided hundreds of civilians disconnected from the rest of the world with subsidise internet services.

In 2015, Roia’s team installed a first Wireless Internet Service Provider (WISP), a wireless tower powered with solar panels and a backup power generator to provide broadband internet in Eastern Ghouta. The main tower transmitted the signal to 5 small regional hot spots which in turns transmitted the signal to the user’s devices. The main tower had the capacity to cover a radius of 20 km. During the first semester of the project implementation, over 500 civilians subscribed to our service and  used a reliable and safe internet service. The survey conducted among the users, showed that contacting families and relatives living outside the under-siege areas was the principal use of the internet, followed by research and studying purposes.  


Given the success of the pilot project, Roia worked to install  5 new small hotspots in new different regions and increase its reach to support 500 additional users. In 2016, through the expansion of our services and installation of new infrastructure, Beenet was able to cover a total of 5 towns in Eastern Ghouta providing over 1000 civilians with subsidised internet service.  

In 2017, Roia successfully built a  new wireless tower to cover the east side of Eastern Ghouta. The tower was connected to the main one through high bandwidth PTP (Point to Point) wireless devices, and powered with solar panels. As a result, six  new regional hot spots were connected to the tower and 1000 additional users could access internet services. 

In 2018, Beenet reached the capacity of 3000 users, all of them civilians living under siege. The increase in the number of users and areas covered, required new internet satellite devices as well as the improvement of  the infrastructure.

Later in the same year, the escalation of violence and militarisation of the conflict, forced the suspension of the project and relocation of our staff and operations. 


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