Northwest Syria: Needs and Intentions of New IDP Arrivals in Camps and Informal Sites

Findings presented in this data set are based on data collected by REACH as part of a rapid camps and sites assessment to provide insight on: 

1. How many new IDP arrivals are arriving to camps, informal settlements, collective centres, or transit reception centres reported at the site level since Dec. 18th 
2. Movement intentions of the new IDP arrivals in the coming two weeks 
3. Identify priority needed items by sector of the new IDP arrivals. Data was collected in 150 communities across eight sub-districts in Northern Idleb and Western Aleppo from 25 to 27 December 2019 through REACH enumerators who surveyed one Key Informant (KI) per community on internally displaced persons' (IDPs) camps and sites nearest to their community. 

In order to qualify as camp or site, a site had to have 5 or more IDP households living on its premises. 1,253 camps and sites were assessed across 150 communities. IDP numbers solely represent newly arrived IDPs (5 or more HH) to planned camps, informal settlements, collective centres, and transit reception centres, and do not account for total camp or site IDP populations or IDPs within the host communities.

The definition of IDPs used by enumerators for this assessment was ‘Individuals or groups of people who have been forced to leave their homes or places of habitual residence, in particular as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalised violence, violations of human rights, or natural or man-made disasters, and who have not crossed an international border'. The definition of planned camp was 'A planned camp is a place where IPDs find accomodation on purpose-built sites, where service infrastructure is provided and distribution take place. The camp is established by an accountable humanitarian actor and to the extent possible, meet the minimum SPHERE standards'. The definition of informal settlements was 'Otherwise known as a self-settled camp or a spontaneous site, hosting 5 or more IDP households. IDPs may settle in a camp that is independent of assistance from the government or humanitarian community. They are a group of tented, or other types of housing units, or unfinished buildings established by IDPs themselves or by non-experienced actors, often erected on land that the occupants have no legal claim to. IDPs intend to stay in this location for an extended period of time. At the moment, most of the so-called IDP camps in Syria fall under this category. ' The definition of collective centres was 'A pre-existing building or other structure used to host 5 or more IDP households, e.g. public buildings, schools, mosques, private collective building' The definition of transit reception centres was 'Otherwise known as transit camps, they provide temporary accomodation for displaced persons pending transfer to a suitable, safe, longer term camp, or at the end of an operation as a staging point of return. Reception/transit centres are usually either intermediate or short-term installations. These sites are often established during extremely large displacements.'

Information should be considered as reflective of the situation at the time of data collection, given the dynamic situation in the region. In addition, information should be considered as indicative, and not representative, of the situation.

Tags: cash voucher assistance-cva, complex emergency-conflict-security, displacement, food security, health, internally displaced persons-idp, needs assessment, populated places-settlements, shelter, water sanitation and hygiene-wash
Organization: REACH Initiative