Introduction and needs:
The humanitarian needs in Syria are severe across all sectors, with significant health, education, WASH, shelter, protection, and food needs. Years of conflict have left healthcare centers, hospitals, schools, and water and sanitation systems damaged or destroyed. Now Syria faces an economic crisis, and the value of the Syrian pound has dropped to record lows. The economic downturn began when the conflict erupted in late 2019- 2020, leading to soaring food, fuel, and other critical items. The cost of basic staples has increased by over 100% since late 2019-2020. Food prices are 20 times higher than their pre-conflict levels. Households are forced to adopt negative coping mechanisms, including child labor, early marriage, and cutting or reducing meals. As of 2020, an estimated 9.3 million people in Syria, more than half the current population, and the highest level ever recorded in the country are food insecure, up from an estimated 7.9 million in 2019. Military operations in Northwest Syria and around Idlib Governorate displaced nearly a million people between December 2019–February 2020. There are an estimated 2.8 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Northwest Syria living in severely overcrowded conditions.
Also, in light of the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, All sectors of life are affected largely due to restrictions in place to control the spread of COVID-19, which have impeded access to education, health, other services, and protection risks such as child labor are likely to increase as children lose their protective school environment and the statistics in Northwest Syria (NWS) is recording high numbers of COVID-19 cases in a context of inadequate healthcare. As of 18 November, 13,179 confirmed cases (95 deaths) have been reported, 7,530 cases in the Idlib area, and 5,649 in northern Aleppo governorate. The healthcare capacity throughout NWS is ill-equipped to treat the volume of patients with COVID-19.
The Project:
The intervention will contribute to cover the gaps and respond to the food needs of crisis-affected people in Idleb rural province and will develop the essential households’ livelihoods assets through improving access to agriculture, creating income-generating (temporary jobs). The project will target the most vulnerable families (men, women, boys, and girls) affected by the Syrian crisis.
The project will include three main activities of humanitarian intervention, which are:
- Supporting wheat crop (Distribution of agricultural inputs with training for 330 new Beneficiaries from HHs and every beneficiary will receive :
250 Kg of wheat seeds are sufficient to cultivate ten donums, 100 Kg of Azote Fertilizer Urea 46%, 200 Kg of Composed Fertilizer N: P: K (15:15:15), One liter of each type of pesticide ( herbicide, Insecticide). - Cash for work activity ( Rehabilitation of agricultural roads) for 40 workers from HHs/IDPs. Every beneficiary will receive 7 $ for every five working hours per day for 44 days.
- Supporting wheat crop for 300 beneficiaries from the previous project or/and from the community ( harvesting costs, technical agricultural training with the necessary instructions until the end of harvest phase), every beneficiary will receive 50 $ for harvest costs.