After the Syrian regime withdrew from the city of Raqqa in March 2013, the National Hospital ceased its operations. Employees were absent, and the janitorial company stopped working, and as a result, the hospital was in very bad shape. To deal with this problem, members of the Raqqa Free Youth Assembly launched the Cleaning the National Hospital in Raqqa campaign at the end of March.

Activists worked on cleaning the hospital that was destroyed by shelling, and helped the employees that remained to organize themselves so that they could start seeing patients once again.

Among the activists involved were a number of doctors, which helped in the success of the campaign. Now, the hospital is operating at minimum capacity, depending on the available staff and supplies.

One of the important aspects of the campaign is that it differentiates between the regime as a source of authority, and a state whose institutions ultimately belong to the people. Raqqa’s residents have taken the responsibility of rebuilding their institutions so they can actually serve the people.

Find out more about the Raqqa Free Youth Assembly on their Youtube channel and Facebook page.