Digital Communications for NGOs in Syria: Bilingual Websites, Dignified Storytelling and Safeguarding

What do donors and partners look for on an NGO website?

Institutional donors, foundations and individual supporters usually visit an NGO website to answer a few practical questions: what the organisation does, where it works, who leads it, how it is governed and what it has achieved. If those answers take more than a few clicks to find, confidence drops before any report is opened.

Partners and coordination bodies look for the same clarity, plus contact details for the right person. A focused site with a clear mission statement, programme pages, a leadership section, published policies and a reporting area does more for credibility than a long history page or a gallery of event photos.

Why should the website be bilingual, and how?

English usually serves international donors and partners, while Arabic serves communities, local partners, volunteers, job applicants and Syrian supporters. Both audiences deserve a complete experience, not a full site in one language and a single summary page in the other.

The Arabic version should be written natively rather than translated word for word, with right-to-left layouts designed properly from the start. Keep the structure parallel so a programme page in English has a matching page in Arabic, and make the language switch visible on every page.

• Mirror the main navigation in both languages
• Write Arabic content for its own readers, not as a translation
• Test layouts, forms and documents in right-to-left mode
• Publish key reports and policies in both languages where possible

How do you tell impact stories with dignity?

Impact stories are often the most visited and most shared part of an NGO's communications, and the most sensitive. The guiding principle is simple: show people as active participants in their own lives, not as passive recipients of help. A tailor rebuilding her workshop, a teacher reopening a classroom or a farmer sharing what changed tells a fuller and more respectful story than an image of distress.

Let people speak in their own words where they choose to, and avoid framing that exists only to provoke pity. Donors increasingly expect this standard, and so do the communities you serve, who will see what you publish.

• Focus on what changed and what the person did, not only on hardship
• Use quotes in the person's own words, reviewed with them
• Avoid images taken at moments of distress or vulnerability
• Never stage scenes or exaggerate needs to drive donations

What does informed consent really require?

Consent is informed only when the person understands, in their own language, where their story or image will appear, who can see it and that the internet is global and long-lasting. They should know they can refuse without any effect on the support they receive, and that they can ask for removal later.

Power imbalances make this delicate. People receiving assistance may feel unable to say no, so consent should be sought by trained staff, documented, and revisited when content is reused. For children, consent from a parent or guardian is necessary but not sufficient; the child's own wishes and safety come first.

How do you protect beneficiaries' privacy online?

In a context like Syria, a name, a face or a recognisable location can expose someone to real risk. Safeguarding should therefore shape every decision about what is published, and when in doubt, the answer is to publish less.

Apply the same care to your own systems. Contact and volunteer forms should collect only what is needed, data should be stored securely, and staff should know who can approve sensitive content.

Timing matters as well. Publishing a story some weeks after an activity, rather than live from the field, reduces the chance of anyone being located, and a regular review of older content lets you remove material whose risk has changed.

• Use first names only, or changed names clearly noted as such
• Avoid exact villages, camps, addresses or identifiable landmarks
• Remove location data embedded in photo files before publishing
• Photograph hands, work or backs instead of faces where risk exists
• Protect field staff by applying the same rules to their identities

What should a reporting and transparency page include?

A dedicated reporting page shows donors that the organisation has nothing to hide and makes due diligence easier. It should be easy to find from the main menu and organised so that the most recent and most important documents appear first.

Keep documents as lightweight files with clear titles and dates, and summarise each one in a few lines so visitors on slow connections can decide whether to download it. A short page for each major project, with its goals, general areas of work, results and partners, also helps donors interested in a specific programme.

• Annual reports and programme updates
• Financial summaries or audited statements where available
• Registration details and governance structure where applicable
• Safeguarding, data protection and complaints policies
• A feedback or complaints channel for communities and partners

How do you keep it sustainable?

Many NGO websites start strong and then fall silent. Assign one person to own the site, agree an approval process that includes safeguarding review, and set a realistic publishing rhythm that your team can maintain alongside field work. Build the site to load well on mobile and limited connections, since many of your Syrian visitors will be on phones.

Taswiqly works with organisations on bilingual websites and content systems built around these principles. Whoever supports you, the test is the same: would the people in your stories be comfortable seeing how they are presented?

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