Syrian Arab Republic: Cross-Border Humanitarian Reach and Activities from Türkiye (May 2022) – Syrian Arab Republic

September 2, 2022 admin-dominor

CONTEXT

Artillery shelling incidents continued most days in May. The security incidents, including shelling, improvised explosive devices and other remnants of war, resulted in civilian loss of life and injuries.

9,852 displacements were tracked in May, the highest recorded since December 2021. About 63 per cent of the displaced persons moved to displacement sites during the month, while the rest settled in residential areas. Similar to previous months, the most frequently cited reason for displacement was economic deterioration in prior location, followed by perceived improvement in security in the destination location.

COVID-19 cases continued to decrease in May. 50 new cases were recorded in during the month, compared to 284 cases in April and 5,396 in March. Despite ongoing efforts, vaccination rate remains low, with about 9 per cent of the population having received at least one dose by the end of the month.

In May, the food component of the Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB) decreased by 8 per cent, ranging around 450,000 Syrian Pounds (SYP), mostly to due to an increase in availability of fresh vegetables. Despite the decrease, last year in May, the cost of the component was 79 per cent less expensive.

SECTOR ACTIVITIES

Education Cluster: Education cluster provided school aged children with textbooks, regular self-learning materials and digital learning materials, provision/rehabilitation of water and sanitation facilities in TLS/ schools, Rehabilitation of learning centers, incentives/allowances for teaching staff, non-formal education (NFE), professional development to teaching staff (active learning, self-learning, life skills), life skills based trainings, basic education materials, psychosocial support and recreational activities, provision of fuel for heating in learning centers and teaching kits, early childhood education (ECE) and awareness raising campaigns.

Early Recovery Cluster: Since the beginning of the year (January 2022), 41 Early Recovery partners reached 40,854 direct beneficiaries in 34 subdistricts and 136 communities.
In particular, 18,774 directly benefitted from the long and short term work opportunities, 7,224 benefitted from the financial support including grants and seed funds and subsidized loans to businesses with high potential for job retention and creation, and 7,000 benefitted from the rehabilitation of schools.

FSL Cluster: In May 2022, a total of 2,191,559 beneficiaries were reached with food baskets (through in kind, cash or voucher); 350,768 beneficiaries reached with emergency food rations (RTEs [ready to eat rations], cooked meals and one-off food basket); 230,144 beneficiaries reached with mixed food items, 2,168,641 beneficiaries reached with bread/flour distribution.

Shelter Cluster: Shelter cluster provided rental assistance, construction materials/tools, emergency shelter kits (e.g. tents) and emergency shelter; also rehabilitation of private housing and collective centers. Moreover, shelter cluster provided information/counselling on housing, land & property rights.

NFI Cluster: NFI cluster provided NFI kits (in-kind, cash, voucher) and training of stakeholders on resilience oriented NFI skills and capacities.

WASH Cluster: WASH cluster reached beneficiaries with water provision via existing networks, water trucking and private boreholes, household water treatments, maintenance/ cleanings of communal sewage, construction or rehabilitation of communal latrines and household, Solid waste management, hygiene kits distribution, hygiene promotion and vector control. Assitance was provided at the community, camp, collective center and school levels.

Nutrition Cluster: In May 2022, 35 Nutrition Cluster partners provided life-saving nutrition services covering 338 communities in 36 sub-districts. Those reached included: treatment of 10,230 pregnant and lactating women (PLW) reached with multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMNs); 6,344 children 6-59 months reached with multiple micronutrient powders (MNPs); 2,081 pregnant and lactating women (PLW) reached with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) treatment; 1,517 cases of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) and 824 cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) among children 6-59 months.

Protection Cluster: Protection cluster provided awareness raising through campaigns and contact initiatives, case management, child protection and psychosocial support, including parenting programmes, develop community level referral pathways, legal assistance, material/cash assistance, outreach activities, psychosocial support, recreation and early childhood development kits, risk education, specialised child protection services, training of front line responders and humanitarian actors, women and girls accessing safe spaces and other socio-economic support.

GBV Sub-Cluster: The GBV SC initiated celebrating the annual campaign: 16 Days of Activism against GBV by developing a guidance note after consulting the sub-cluster members over the year’s theme. The theme chosen is: “Let’s Team up in Engaging and Empowering Women and Girls!”. The members active in NW Syria were invited to participate using the above theme and share their reports.

The GBV SC conducted an Online Learning session on the inclusion of older women on November 24, which targeted 60 participants based in Türkiye and Northwest Syria of different GBV Sub-Cluster members. The GBV SC conducted Advanced Case Management training in Idlib, Syria, from November 14 to 18, which targeted 19 frontline GBV Workers of different GBV Sub-Cluster case management service providers. The GBV Sub Cluster conducted GBV Awareness-Raising Toolkit training in Gaziantep from November 15 to 17, which targeted 19 participants of different GBV Sub-Cluster partners that are using the GBV Awareness-Raising Toolkit that the GBV Sub Cluster developed in their GBV activities in NW Syria.

CP Sub-Cluster: This reporting period has been characterized by persistence of child protection concerns in North West, aggravated by COVID19 pandemic and its global crisis. Despite limitations in an increasingly restrictive operational environment, child protection partners delivered, while incorporating where possible COVID prevention messages and messages on childcare in times of isolation and unpredictability. Therefore, partners have continued providing child protection case management services, parenting programmes, PSS group activities and child protection recreational activities, in addition to child protection- related training, through online platforms.

CCCM Cluster: CCCM monitored the provision of lifesaving multi-sectoral response for 1.5 million IDPs in May 2022. This month, approximately 900 IDPs were reached with CCCM activities, ranging from camp management and capacity building activities to community mobilization, site assessment and risk mitigation, site management support, as well as fire awareness, prevention and response.

Health Cluster: Health cluster reached 911,881 outpatient consultations; 23,727 people with referrals; supported 17,166 people with mental health consultations and supported 13,191 people with physical rehabilitation in May 2022.