Syria Crisis - Emergency Assistance to Syrian Refugees in Iraq - ACF 2013

December 2013 - The humanitarian situation in Syria has rapidly deteriorated over the past year as a result of the civil war in the country. The United Nations estimates more than 110 000 people have been killed and hundreds of thousands more wounded due to the violence. Within Syria some 9.3 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance 6.5 million of whom are internally displaced. In addition over 2.2 million Syrian refugees are living in host countries in the region. Women and children are particularly vulnerable to the gravest consequences of the conflict and host countries are increasingly overstretched by the influx of people needing assistance. With DFATD's support Action Against Hunger (ACF) is providing direct emergency assistance to about 12 000 Syrian refugees in Iraq . The project provides support to help people survive the winter and access safe drinking water and sanitation facilities as well as psychosocial support. Project activities include: (i) providing life-saving items such as winter clothes for adults and children water boilers and other items to 4 000 people; (ii) cleaning and maintaining sanitation facilities holding information sessions to raise awareness of the importance of proper hygiene providing safe drinking water and sanitation facilities that meet cultural norms to 15 500 people (including direct and indirect beneficiaries); and (iii) providing psychosocial support to 10 400 people.

The expected immediate outcomes for this project include: (i) improved protection for vulnerable refugees in Iraq through the provision of household items including items to help people survive the winter; (ii) increased access to safe drinking water sanitation facilities and improved hygiene practices; and (iii) improved access to psychosocial services. The expected intermediate outcome is reduced vulnerability of crisis-affected people especially women and children.