Syria Crisis - Support to Refugees and Host Communities in Iraq - Save the Children 2013

November 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 resources in host countries are increasingly overstretched by the influx of people needing assistance. With DFATD’s support Save the Children is providing protection and education services for up to 3 400 vulnerable Syrian refugees and community members in Iraq. Project activities include: (i) providing protection assistance and psychosocial support for 1 200 children and youth; (ii) constructing nine learning spaces to enable 540 children to attend school; (iii) providing early childhood care and development for 480 children; (iv) raising awareness on available child protection and education services for 1 000 community members; and (v) training for 80 child protection and Child Friendly Space facilitators and 40 community members.

The expected immediate outcomes of this project include: (i) improved protection assistance and psychosocial support; (ii) improved capacity of Child Friendly Space facilitators and community members to provide child protection and psychosocial support in emergencies; and (iii) increased awareness of available child protection and education services. The expected intermediate outcome is reduced vulnerability of crisis-affected people especially women and children.