Enhancing vocational training and livelihood opportunities for Eastern Ghouta’s most affected populations The proposed project will seek to improve the food and livelihood security of 500 households (around 3,000 individuals) through specialized skills training, livestock support, and agricultural support in the besieged areas of Kafr Batna and Arbin in Rural Damascus. Syria Relief will conduct a needs assessment and a market analysis to identify 150 individuals who will receive vocational training and small business support. In addition, 350 families will receive agricultural assistance, with 150 of those families receiving a locally procured livestock support package and training. The remaining 200 households will be provided with agricultural training and a kit containing seeds and farming supplies. The agricultural kit will be based on local agricultural practices and market demand, as determined by a needs assessment. 

Beneficiaries of the vocational training and livelihoods assistance will be selected based on vulnerability, level of experience, and their ability to fully utilize the support provided. The market analysis will determine which trades are in high demand, and capacity assessments will be carried out to profile the applicants and facilitate the selection of beneficiaries based on a set of predefined criteria, to allow for individually tailored assistance and services, which is essential to sustainable income generation. Based on the identified needs and existing skill-sets and capacity of the selected beneficiaries, the livelihoods assistance package may include a) small business support for entrepreneurs towards the development/support or re-start of a small business, and b) specialized skills training accompanied by a toolkit tailored to the nature of the attended training. Small business support might include the following: purchase of the equipment, tools, and consumable materials such as fabric for dress making, initial payment for renting premises, fuel, training and mentoring on small business start-up and/or management. The choice of trade will be flexible to utilize the existing skills and capacities. A local market assessment will be conducted and the absorption capacity of new businesses will be taken into consideration. Income generated by these activities will directly contribute to a decrease in negative coping strategies and enable vulnerable families to afford an appropriate diet, therefore also decreasing the risk of malnutrition and dependence on food aid. 

Beneficiaries of the agricultural support project will be selected based on level of experience caring for livestock, experience in agriculture, vulnerability, and their ability to fully utilize the support provided. Once selected, the beneficiaries will be trained by staff to provide guidance on quality standards. The livestock kit will include livestock, vaccinations, fodder for 2 months, and other required material needed for care and income generation. Specialized training in livestock, training on appropriate care and potential income-generating activities as well as training on new technology, planting methods, and water conservation. Both beneficiary groups will continue to receive follow-up training and advice over the course of the project from four field coordinators hired for this purpose.

Given the particular sensitivities related to women engaging in income-generating activities in Eastern Ghouta, a careful weighing of the risks associated with providing such support will be undertaken to ensure that no harm comes to beneficiaries or field staff. The project will seek to prioritize women and those with disabilities by tailoring the support provided, in an effort to better respond to their specific needs and concerns. 

At the time of implementation, if the situation in Rural Damascus does not allow for this program to be implemented as planned, Syria Relief, in close consultation with UN OCHA and Cluster coordinators, will propose alternative locations in hard to reach or besieged areas in Eastern Ghouta.