Fostering community resilience

Emissa is a Syrian non-profit founded in Homs in 2011. We connect emergency relief with early recovery and long-term development in Syria, Türkiye and Lebanon.

See our programs Read our research

Early recovery and livelihoods Strengthening community resilience through sustainable livelihoods, vocational training and local economic development.

A Syrian organization rooted in community, since 2011

Emissa grew from a group of volunteers who believed that every person deserves to live with dignity. Today it works in Syria, Türkiye and Lebanon through three legal entities united by one mission: to empower people and build resilient, sustainable communities.

About Emissa

2011
Founded in Homs

A group of Syrian volunteers starts Emissa in response to the growing humanitarian needs caused by the Syrian crisis.
Across Syria

Local networks deliver food, shelter, education and medical assistance, and help women, youth and vulnerable families rebuild their lives.
Beyond the border

As displacement spread, the organization registered in Türkiye as IDIL (Innovative Development for Improving Lives) and later also worked in Lebanon.
2024
Back home

Following the liberation of Syria, Emissa returned home and was re-registered under its original name, Emissa – Syria.

From relief to development, without a gap between them

Our work follows the Nexus approach: humanitarian relief, early recovery and sustainable development are treated as one continuous effort, so that short-term assistance contributes directly to lasting change and inclusive development.

Relief

Meeting urgent needs with dignity: food, medical support, temporary shelter and essential services.
Early recovery

Rebuilding livelihoods and local capacity, so that short-term aid leads somewhere.
Development

Inclusive, community-led development that makes communities resilient and self-reliant.

Research and studies guide all of it. Our Research and Studies department runs needs assessments, field analyses and contextual studies so that every intervention responds to what communities actually face.

What we do

Seven programs that work together, from emergency response to governance and research.

All programs

Three countries, three registered entities, one mission

Our teams work in Syria, Türkiye and Lebanon, adapting each intervention to the needs of its context.

Emissa – Syria Operating in the northwest, northeast and central regions. Our original name, restored in 2024.
IDIL – Türkiye Registered in Türkiye as Innovative Development for Improving Lives. Offices in Gaziantep.
IDIL – Lebanon Supports refugees and crisis-affected communities in Lebanon.

Schematic map based on the one in our profile. It shows where we work, not borders.

Research that guides our work

Assessments, studies and reports from our field work, free to read and download.

Open the research library

81.2% of the 7,433 young people we surveyed described Syria’s economic situation as “very bad”. Syrian Youth: Current Economic Realities and Return Challenges
89% of families in northwest Syria rely solely on humanitarian aid, according to our situation update. Humanitarian Situation for Northwestern Syria
991 displacement camps in northwest Syria with no water at all, in our brief on the water crisis. Water Crisis in Northwest Syria