Women's Empowerment, Agricultural Resilience in Emergency In Syria, animal breeding is one of the primary professions that engages women. Global Communities (GC) has extensive experience working with female beneficiaries and livestock programming through ongoing and previous programs in northwestern Syria. Building on these experiences, GC will target female-headed households (HHs) that have no source of income or support, living in crisis-affected communities to increase their food security and livelihoods through increased access to a viable income. 

The project implements a holistic approach, connecting women to community based associations to vendors. It builds on two results areas: increasing the milk production of women breeders' herds by caring for their livestock’s health and well being, and improving the production of dairy products and to connect breeders to the market through community-based women's associations (including farmers’ unions and women’s associations). Households will themselves have increased access to milk and dairy products for their own consumption, as well as to be able to sell the products and increase their income. Livestock breeding can also be a long-term source of meat in the community. By supporting vulnerable households to increase food production and connecting them to the market by strengthening community-based associations, the intervention will contribute to community resilience. 

The following activities will be implemented:
- Distribute fodder during the off-grazing period of winter season [500 beneficiaries]
- Provide veterinary services and medicines [900 beneficiaries] 
- Distribute kitchen sets for dairy production [900 beneficiaries]
- Enhance knowledge and good practices of animal breeding and dairy production through training [900 beneficiaries]
- Connect breeders to the market through the creation and/or strengthening of women’s associations through training and meetings [900 beneficiaries]

GC will work with beneficiaries living in communities in hard to reach areas of Northern Hama/Southern Idleb governorates identified through a community vulnerability assessment. Half of the intended beneficiary HHs were targeted under the USAID/OFDA-funded Syria Relief and Resiliency Program (SRRP) with only sheep/fodder. The other 500 will be targeted with sheep and fodder, but no training, veterinary services or kitchen kits, under the USAID/OFDA-funded Syria Response and Intervention Support for Emergencies (RISE). This intervention builds additional capacity upon the groundwork GC has laid. Should these HHs no longer be considered vulnerable upon verification, GC will prioritize vulnerable female-headed HHs (widowed, divorced) according to household vulnerability criteria (family dependency ratio, income level). 

GC will partner with the Syrian NGO Elaf for Relief and Development. Elaf is currently operational in the target areas of northern Hama and southern Idleb. This ensures that the project staff will be able to engage with the communities immediately upon award. Thus, the assistance can be delivered as efficiently and effectively as possible.  GC’s existing experience of successfully completing agricultural projects in the targeted areas will complement Elaf’s effort by drawing on knowledge and relationships with the target communities.

GC’s proposed program is cost effective, and leverages existing operations and program resources, including our ongoing USAID/OFDA-funded food security and livelihoods work under our RISE program, to maximize efficiency. We have included minimal support costs, and limited costs for administrative and operational support staff. As part of exit strategy, GC will inform all relevant stakeholders of the exact project dates including closure from the onset of the project. GC’s MampE department will complete an end line survey to gauge the outcome and output level results. GC looks forward to sharing lesson learnt from the implementation with the FSL Cluster.