Emergency humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations in northern Syria As the Syrian conflict enters its eleventh year, the population in northwest Syria (NWS) face mounting challenges due to protracted displacement, poor living conditions, restricted economic opportunities, and limited humanitarian access. These conditions have been made worse by the COVID-19 (C-19) pandemic and ongoing financial crises, exacerbating the existing vulnerabilities of affected populations. Affected populations are in high need of necessities including food, shelter, and non-food items (NFIs), particularly as socio-economic conditions continue to worsen. 

To continue the provision of essential life-saving services and efforts to ensure dignified living conditions for the most vulnerable people in NWS, IOM proposes an emergency food, shelter, and non-food items response under this project. To strengthen preparedness and emergency response capacity, IOM will replenish the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM) by procuring and distributing 3,950 NFI kits and 3,950 family tents for 19,750 beneficiaries each. IOM will transship items and current RRM partners (GOAL, Violet Organisation, Mercy-USA, Ataa Humanitarian Relief Association, Uluslararası İnsani Yardımlaşma Derneği (IYD), Muzun for Humanitarian and Development, Bonyan Organization and Syria Relief and Development) will be responsible for distribution, in coordination with clusters. 

In addition, to scale-up efforts to sustain minimum food consumption needs of the most vulnerable IDPs, IOM will distribute monthly unconditional cash (60 USD) to cover the food needs of 4,300 food-insecure families for eight months (34,400 total payments for 21,742 individuals). Building on IOM’s current project (16173) with Syria Cross Border Humanitarian Fund (SCHF), this project will improve and sustain access to food for IDPs residing in one planned camp in Maaret Tamsrin subdistrict and ten planned camps (established under CERF funding in 2020): Abraz in Ma`btali subdistrict (Aleppo Governorate) and Burdaqly, Kafr Nabi, Kafr Takharim, Kelly, Koknaya, Mashhad Ruhin, North Sheikh Bahr, Selwa, and South Shekh Bahr, in a Dana, Maaret Tamsrin, Kafr Takharim, Qourqeenasub-districts (Idleb Governorate). IOM is currently providing CCCM support in these IDP sites through a different SCHF funded project (16173), ensuring safety and protection, as well as coordinating the delivery of multi-sectoral assistance.

Further, to respond to urgent and emerging food needs, IOM will provide one-time assistance to 2,000 new IDP households (HH) and/or surrounding areas with IDP HH affected by floods in consultation with FSL cluster. Assistance will be provided both in-kind through ‘ready to eat rations’ (for 500 HH) and through cash (100 USD for 1,500 HH). Transfer values are based on the Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket (SMEB) defined by the Cash Working Group of South East Turkey. The activity is directly linked to the second strategic objective of providing life-saving humanitarian assistance and protection to the most vulnerable people taking into consideration gender and age-specific needs. As such, IOM will ensure beneficiary participation at all stages of the project, involving all gender and age groups (women, men, boys, and girls) as well as community members with specific vulnerabilities such as PWDs. For example, lessons learned from previous programming highlighted beneficiaries’ preference for all distributions to have separate queues for men and women. This will be ensured under this allocation and monitored by mixed-gender TPM teams. To mitigate Gender-Based Violence (GBV) risks, IOM ensures that information provision and feedback mechanisms are designed to be accessible, effective, and confidential and respond to complaints, regardless of whether corrective measures can immediately be put in place. All Implementing Partners (IPs) named in the proposal are indicative, based on preliminary assessment, pending IOM’s internal partner selection processes upon activation of the grant.