The Creative Side of the Proximity Brain
Proximity Lab
The Lab is the center of Proximity's innovation and learning. It's our space to refine ideas, pilot new approaches, test hypotheses, and disseminate findings. The Lab sits at the nexus of our program design and delivery. It is how we improve and how our real-life operational problems get solved.
Making a Difference with Data
Within the Lab, we undertake self-funded research to give back to the communities we serve. Our work amplifies the voices and builds the capacity of the communities that we serve. We also help to strengthen the humanitarian aid and development sectors by identifying gaps and redundancies, allowing for better coordination between actors.
Research Spotlights
Policing in Syria
Read the report here.
As Syria undergoes a profound transition, the country is grappling with the need to rebuild its institutions. Crucial in this process will be the capacity and capability of the security institutions (including the police) – and the extent to which they are inclusive and people centric. This research provides readers with a background on (a) different concepts of security and policing, (b) the history of policing in the Middle East and North Africa, and (c) recent examples of policing in the region, with a focus on community engagement.
Syria in Transition
Read the report here.
As part of its work with the BASIC Research programme led by the Institute for Development Studies (IDS), Proximity conducted a rapid assessment of the current changes in social protection across Syria. Situational social protection reports were produced by ten Syrian researchers across nine governorates. Collectively, the reports highlight a further deterioration of social protection provision in Syria, and increasingly blurred lines between social protection, local charitable organisations and humanitarian relief actors.