"Solve your problems yourself and do not wait for others to do it" - under this motto, the villagers in the Shexo region of Qamishlo canton organize themselves into communities based on equal living.

The residents cover their needs for vegetables, fruits, bread and dairy products through their own production and are in this respect completely independent of the markets of the city. In the village there is a common fund, from which everyone can benefit on occasions such as illnesses, deaths and weddings. This fund is mainly used by economically ill-posed residents in emergencies.

As 80-year-old Mihemed Elî Kûtê told the ANHA news agency, all villagers pay monthly into the fund according to their financial resources. "Our village was founded about 100 years ago, and since then, social ethics and traditions have been preserved," says Kûtê. The people from the surrounding villages have also taken a look at this lifestyle and are in the process of building a similar communal life.

The way of life in the Shexo region is an exemplary model for developing democratic-participative system in northern Syria. The aim is to create municipalities and councils in all villages and neighborhoods in which living together is organized. In this way, the entire population participate directly in political and social decisions.