As part of an advance by Syrian rebels, they captured a village this fall near the northern border with Turkey called Khirbat al-Joz.
Syrian families who had fled to Turkish refugee camps returned back to see what had happened to their homes and farms. Many found charred ruins — a village devastated by war.
Now, the villagers are rebuilding. And with the help of Syrian activists, they are trying to set a small example of a secular, democratic place.
New Uniforms For A New Police Force
It's a cold and rainy day, but that doesn't dampen the celebration at the police station when Syrian activist Razan Shalab Alsham arrives with 20 brand new police uniforms.
She's part of a group called the Syrian Emergency Task Force that raised money for the project.
These are local men who joined rebel brigades to free their village from the control of President Bashar Assad's regime. Now, they say, they want to be a civilian police force to back the civil council that runs things here.
Enlarge Deborah Amos
Razan Shalab Alsham, in bright blue, works for the Syrian Emergency Task Force. She helped provide uniforms for the new civil police force of Khirbet al-Joz.