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

CONTEXT

Artillery shelling incidents continued most days in January, while very few airstrikes were recorded. The security incidents, including shelling, improvised explosive devices and other remnants of war, resulted in civilian loss of life and injuries.

Winter incidents continued to compound the situation of civilians, particularly for those living in displacement sites. Between 21 – 26 February, strong winds and floods affected more than 70 displacement sites across the north-west, completely destroying 1,090 tents and partially damaging 1,447 tents and generated humanitarian needs for the affected households.

9,484 displacements were tracked in February. About 60 per cent of the displaced persons in February moved to camp settings, while the rest settled in residential areas. The newly displaced people in camps are vulnerable against winter conditions. The most frequently cited reason for displacement was economic deterioration in prior location, followed by access to services and humanitarian aid in the destination location.

After four months of decline, confirmed COVID-19 cases started to increase in February. 4,147 new cases were recorded in February, compared to 118 cases in January. The Omicron variant has been detected in the north-west. Despite ongoing efforts by fixed and mobile teams, vaccination rate remains low, with about 7.5 per cent of the population having received at least one dose by the end of the month.

Prices of commodities started to increase towards the end of the months, particularly wheat flour which increased to about $450 USD per ton on average in northern Aleppo from its former price of $390. The price increase in flour also results in increased in bread prices, a staple food item for Syria.

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), 27 Early Recovery partners reached 17,443 direct beneficiaries in 28 subdistricts and 96 communities.

In particular, 14,435 directly benefitted from the long and short term work opportunities, 1,474 benefitted from the financial support including grants and seed funds and subsidized loans to businesses with high potential for job retention and creation, and 905 benefitted from the the vocational and skills training opportunities.

FSL Cluster: In February 2022, a total of 2,206,297 beneficiaries were reached with food baskets (through in kind, cash or voucher); 337,362 beneficiaries reached with emergency food rations (RTEs [ready to eat rations], cooked meals and one-off food basket); 444,823 beneficiaries reached with mixed food items, 2,200,049 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 Feb 2022, 36 Nutrition Cluster partners provided life-saving nutrition services covering 254 communities in 34 sub-districts. Those reached included: treatment of 623 cases of severe acute malnutrition (SAM), 1,544 cases of moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) among children 6-59 months; 1,945 cases of moderate acute malnourished pregnant and lactating women (PLW); 13,329 pregnant and lactating women with multiple micronutrient supplementation and 4,482 children under 5 reached with multiple micronutrient supplementation.

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 1.4 million IDPs in February 2022. This month, approximately 260 thousand 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 908,672 outpatient consultations; 20,800 people with referrals; supported 15,176 people with mental health consultations and supported 12,398 people with physical rehabilitation in February 2022.