At a time of extraordinary need, with fragile infrastructure still reeling from the 2023 earthquakes and displaced people considering returning home after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024, the NGO GOAL provides essential humanitarian support. Their services span food security, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), shelter, winterisation, and emergency response, reaching over 1.16 million people– with continued support from the European Union.
Dignity and security through emergency cash assistance
‘We were finally able to buy warm clothes for our children, enjoy a meal with meat or chicken, even treat them to some fruit and sweets. It really improved our living conditions' – Khaled Al-Hassan, 38, Idlib.
After receiving cash assistance for food, Khaled was able to provide for his family’s basic needs for the first time in months. In total, 238,513 people were supported through food cash assistance.
Supporting returnees in eastern Idlib
GOAL distributed emergency cash assistance to families returning to eastern Idlib after the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024 – a region previously inaccessible for years due to conflict. Unlike in-kind aid, cash support enables families to address their most urgent needs with agency, dignity and flexibility while supporting local markets and recovery efforts.
Hope and healing after return
‘We were overjoyed to return to our home and village’ – Amina, 53, eastern Idlib.
After returning home, Amina found her garden still standing. Like her, over 20,000 people received emergency cash support, helping them address their basic needs. ‘We were overjoyed to return to our home and village. Now we sleep in peace, no airstrikes, no fear. My children and grandchildren can finally play under the sun. I was deeply moved to see my plants had survived. They waited for me, just as I longed to return to them’,she says.
Restoring access to clean water
In northern Aleppo, GOAL’s WASH teams restored access to safe water by rehabilitating and operating water stations and piped networks, including solar-powered water wells. These sustainable systems reached over 800,000 people with clean water, while sanitation services helped another 177,000. Notably, 99.98% of water samples met strict quality standards, ensuring that the chlorine levels were safe and reliable for the communities affected by the conflict.
‘Despite the challenges of operating water stations and networks in conflict conditions, focusing our efforts on supporting piped water provision to households instead of relying on water trucking has allowed GOAL to achieve more sustainable results’, says Louay Tajiddin, GOAL water and sanitation engineer.
Building safer homes for displaced families
At the Dar Alkeram site in Idlib, GOAL engineers oversaw the construction of 105 dignified shelter units, including 4 units adapted for persons with disabilities, benefiting 436 people.
Dignified shelter has given vulnerable people, especially the elderly, the safety and privacy denied to them for years in temporary camps.
‘Life in the camp is harsh; winters and summers are equally cruel. Storms could destroy my tent and no one would know. When I heard we’d move into caravans, I was filled with hope’, says Hajjeh Al-Jassem, 70, from Ma’arat al-Nu’man.
Preparing for winter
To help families survive freezing winter conditions, €1.52 million in winter cash assistance was distributed to 45,339 individuals across northwest Syria, all before November 2024.
‘Firewood costs over €147 per tonne, and we often rely on aid. GOAL’s winterisation support eased the heating burden and improved our living conditions, saving money for food, jackets, school supplies, and medicines for my children’, says Abdul Al-Hilawi, 28, from Hama.
GOAL’s winterisation support alleviates the financial stress for thousands of families, enabling them to afford essential items needed for surviving winter in displacement with dignity.