GENERAL INFORMATION
13.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria, including 6.1 million IDPs.
Conflict has killed over 400,000 people and caused large-scale displacement.
Between November 2016 and October 2017, the campaign to expel the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS or DAESH) from Ar-Raqqa governorate in North East Syria led to an escalation of conflict across the area. Conflict resulted in multiple phases of significant displacement of civilians and resulted in high levels of need of both the displaced and those that remained in areas of direct conflict. Furthermore, the ability of host communities across Ar-Raqqa governorate to absorb internally displaced persons (IDPs) became increasingly stretched as their number grew.
The whole population of Ar-Raqqa over 375,000 persons were displaced within and from the governorate between November 2016 and September 2017. IDPs fled to territory that came under control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in previous phases of fighting. All of Raqqa suffered intense airstrikes by the U.S.-led coalition, the infrastructure was destroyed, as were more than 75 % of civilian homes.
With conflict reducing across the governorate, thousands of IDPs returned to their communities of origin, likely to locations in need of post-conflict reconstruction and with severely limited basic services.
Batiles came to an end and ISIS militants were driven out of the area, but definitely not free of cost.
It has become almost impossible to differentiate between what was once a home or a shop in the center of Ar-Raqqa.
It is likely that around 110.500 IDPs returned to areas of origin with limited access to Health services and in severe need of de-mining and repairs to shelters, roads and other infrastructure as well as they are in need of all types of help that support in recovering their livelihoods.
Civilians also face other risks when going back to check on homes or buildings. These risks include the collapse of buildings in the city center which has widespread destruction and wide-scale damage to homes and infrastructure. Still many people in Ar-Raqqa and surrounding areas are living in dire conditions away from their homes in makeshiti shelters and have been displaced several times bearing the agony of displacement, deprivation and the misery of all of their loses.
Reconstruction efforts already started plowing through debris with returning locals being determined in their hope to reopen shops and inject life back into the city center.
OBJECTIVES
To Assess the situation in Ar-Raqqa under the different sectors and propose optimal response modalities and develop operational plan there, Al-Ameen Organization conducted multi sectorial needs assessment in Ar-Raqqa governorate during Apr-2018 assessing all the sub-districts of Ar-Raqqa excluding Ma’adaan and Al Sabkha sub-districts which are under the control of the Syrian regime.
METHODOLOGY
Al-Ameen developed the assessment form to collect data from Key Informants (KIs) during the information collection. Fieldworks started on 15-Apr-2018 and were completed on 15-May-2018. After receiving the raw data, the Data Need Assessment Unit /DNA/ in Al-Ameen began the data validation and cleaning process. Next, the data analysis & translation process started.