Project to Rehabilitate 1,000 Homes Launched in Sahl al-Ghab

Syria's Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management, in cooperation with the organisation Rahma Without Borders, has launched a project to rehabilitate 1,000 damaged homes in the Sahl al-Ghab area of Hama governorate. The project falls under the government's "Syria Without Camps" strategy, which aims to facilitate the return of residents and end internal displacement.

Project Scope

Ammar Bani al-Marja, executive director of Rahma Without Borders, said the restoration work will be concentrated in the sub-districts of Qalaat al-Madiq and al-Ziyara, covering about six main villages. He told Al-Ikhbariya Syria that final data is currently being prepared so that works can begin within two weeks at most.

Accompanying Facilities

The programme is not limited to housing. Bani al-Marja said it includes accompanying service projects to rehabilitate public facilities in the area:

• Rehabilitation of a number of schools.
• Rehabilitation of part of the water networks.
• Rehabilitation of part of the sewage networks.

He added that the number of beneficiary families may increase in later phases.

Ministry Statements

Ahmad Aqzeez, Assistant Minister of Emergency and Disaster Management, said the scale of need is large and that work is under way to prepare the necessary infrastructure for the return of displaced people. He called for integration between government efforts and civil society organisations. He explained that the project means securing 1,000 homes for families, which he described as 1,000 additional steps toward implementing the vision of Syria Without Camps.

Return Convoys and National Strategy

The project coincides with return convoys supervised by the ministry in cooperation with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. In recent days, convoys carrying hundreds of families left camps in northern Syria for the countrysides of Hama, Idlib and Damascus, in implementation of Legislative Decree No. (59) on preparing the logistical and service conditions for rebuilding.

President Ahmad al-Sharaa launched the "Syria Without Camps" national strategy in May 2026. It has UN support, expressed by High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih during recent field visits. According to the source, the strategy aims to close the internal displacement file and dismantle the camps by 2027.

According to the Idlib Directorate of Social Affairs and Labour, the number of families living in camps has fallen from 266,000 to about 91,000.