OUR WORK
Areas of work
Four connected fields with direct consequences for public health, daily life and long-term regional recovery.
Environmental recovery is a connected system
Waste collection, water, sanitation, land, equipment and local skills cannot be treated in isolation. A failure in one area places pressure on the others. Uncontrolled dumping can contaminate land and water. Damaged sewer systems affect neighbourhood health. Municipal vehicles cannot provide reliable services without maintenance, parts and trained operators. The Foundation’s work is therefore organised around four related fields.
01
Waste management and environmental sanitation
Reliable waste services begin with regular collection close to homes, businesses and public spaces. They also require safe transfer and transport, appropriate recovery or treatment, controlled final disposal and practical arrangements for equipment, staff and maintenance.
In Qalamoun, improvement must also address the accumulated effects of uncontrolled dumping and open burning. These practices expose neighbourhoods to smoke, attract insects and rodents, degrade the entrances and edges of towns, and place soil and groundwater at risk.
Priority areas include
- dependable local collection and route organisation
- containers and collection points appropriate to local conditions
- transfer and transport where distances require a shared system
- safe treatment, recovery and final disposal based on measured waste conditions
- reduction of uncontrolled dumping and open burning
- safer conditions for sanitation workers
- maintenance of vehicles and equipment
- clean-up and rehabilitation of affected sites
02
Water and wastewater
Water scarcity is a defining condition in the region. Service reliability depends not only on finding water, but on protecting sources, reducing losses, maintaining pumps and storage, repairing distribution networks and managing wastewater safely.
The Foundation’s interest is in practical systems that protect public health and use limited resources responsibly. This may include infrastructure rehabilitation, technical assessment, improved operation and maintenance, and cooperation where water or wastewater systems affect more than one community.
Priority areas include
- rehabilitation of damaged or unreliable water networks
- identification and reduction of leakage
- pumping, storage and distribution reliability
- protection of wells, springs and groundwater
- sewer-network rehabilitation
- safer collection and management of wastewater
- maintenance systems and training for local operators
- practical water-quality monitoring where required
03
Land and environmental restoration
Qalamoun’s towns are closely connected to the surrounding mountains, wadis, orchards, cultivated areas and steppe. Damage, dumping, erosion, pollution and unmanaged expansion can affect both the landscape and the resources on which communities depend.
Restoration should begin with the cause of degradation. Planting alone is not a substitute for removing waste, controlling pollution, stabilising soil, protecting water and establishing realistic arrangements for continued care.
Priority areas include
- rehabilitation of former or uncontrolled dumping areas
- protection of wadis, soils and groundwater
- removal of waste from environmentally sensitive locations
- erosion and slope-management measures where necessary
- support for orchards, cultivated land and efficient use of water
- restoration of settlement edges and public land
- planting only where species, water requirements and long-term maintenance are appropriate
- environmental baseline information to guide future work
04
Municipal services, skills and local development
Infrastructure is only useful when people can operate and maintain it. Vehicles, pumps, workshops, stores, tools, spare parts, route information and trained staff are part of the service itself, not secondary additions.
Environmental programmes can also support local economic recovery. Syrian engineers, contractors, mechanics, drivers, technicians and workers should participate wherever the required capability exists, while specialised external equipment or knowledge can be used when genuinely necessary.
Priority areas include
- municipal vehicles and service equipment
- workshops, tools, spare-parts planning and maintenance
- training for operators, technicians, mechanics and supervisors
- practical service information and route planning
- cooperation among towns where equipment or expertise can be shared
- participation of Syrian contractors and suppliers
- local employment linked to operating services
- systems that remain manageable after initial construction or procurement
One regional purpose
These four fields are closely connected. Cleaner towns depend on functioning services. Safe water depends on protected land and maintained networks. Infrastructure lasts only when local teams can operate it. The Foundation brings these relationships together within one regional view of Qalamoun.