Enhancing access to livelihood opportunities, basic services, and community infrastructure in NW Syria through a flexible integrated programming approach (Envelope 2) White Hands (WH) proposes a 9-month action that uses a flexible integrated programming approach that includes a multi-sectoral response (ERL and FSL) with a focus on appropriate flood prevention works on roads and related infrastructures and enhancement of humanitarian assistance delivery and access to basic services, main markets, and livelihood opportunities in prioritized IDPs sites and nearby host-communities affected by poor weather conditions in Idleb and Aleppo governorates.

The project formulation has been based on needs identified by ERL amp FSL clusters, supported by an MSNA conducted by WH in Apr 2022 and firsthand consultations with camps management and local authorities/stakeholders. It aims to rehabilitate basic infrastructures, including roads and related drainage systems, provide vocational training, livelihood opportunities, and free bread distributions to enhance the resilience of 96,673 most vulnerable people (23,574 women, 19,481 men, 26,626 girls, and 26,992 boys), currently living in 17 camps and 4 nearby host communities in the sub-districts of Dana (Idleb Governorate) and Atareb (Western Aleppo).

To achieve this objective, WH will conduct the following:
ERL interventions: a) Rehabilitation of 2 main access roads (15 km in total) serving 15 camps in Idleb governorate (Dana sub-district) and 2 camps in Aleppo governorate (Atareb sub-district). The proposed targeted roads are currently heavily damaged and were affected by floods in most of their parts in recent years. This action will lead to timely, safer, and uninterrupted access for humanitarian aid and workers to more than 17 IDP sites/camps in 5 communities. This will prevent access issues and disruption of linkages with host communities affecting local economic recovery and will improve movement and mobility for livelihood opportunities.
The rehabilitation of the roads will notably improve the implementation of WH’s activities in camps, such as the provision of WASH, shelter, food, and winterization activities. The targeted roads will also enhance market linkages between IDP sites, host communities, and main markets to facilitate greater market functionality and reduce dependence on in-kind assistance.
This component will be guided by TWiG on Floods Risk Reduction, Good Practice Guide for Road Rehabilitation in NW Syria, Mar 2022, and ensuring that HLP documentations are well carried out in parallel with field coordination with the relevant local councils.

b) Providing vocational and skills training to 200 IDP applicants in the targeted camps, including youth, women, and PWDs who will be offered a selection of employment/job pathways.

FSL interventions: WH will provide free bread to 1,776 IDP HHs/10,260 individuals residing in 3 targeted camps under ERL interventions through blanket distributions that cover the bread needs of all IDPs in the targeted camps. This will be achieved through baking a stable quantity of bread that meets local needs to be distributed to IDPs in the targeted camps daily for six months. This support is conditioned upon free bread production and distribution to IDPs daily. This component will be guided by Bread and Bakery Guidance published by FSL cluster/BBTWG in Oct 2021.

Additionally, this project will be combined with providing short-term livelihoods for 50 vulnerable HHs residing in the targeted camps through CfW.

This intervention will also complement and be integrated with another WH’s submission in Atareb to the SCHF by ensuring market linkages and adequate road access to 2 targeted camps provided with dignified shelter solutions and comprehensive WASH interventions.

In the context of this highly strategic intervention which has to be delivered within nine months, WH brings in the value addition of their local expertise in infrastructure projects throughout NW Syria, which has been there since the conception of this project.