Explosive Remnants of War (ERW) Risk Education in Schools and Communities and ERW Contamination and Casualty Surveys in Rural Damascus. This project will be a continuation of an existing Explosive Remnants of War Risk Education ERW - RE programme in Rural Damascus, with added data gathering and protection monitoring activities. HALO proposes that RE activities continue on and that both Contamination and Casualty Data Gathering are conducted by existing teams. Additionally, HALO proposes that the teams conduct protection monitoring in all proposed areas.  

Under the current project, HALO and its implementing parner, Shafak, are providing ERW-RE to children in the communities of Duma, Harasta, Nashabiyeh, Arbin and Kafr Batna. Because ERW’s are a long term problem, both HALO and Shafak believe that long impact approaches for children must be sustained the more a child is taught safe behaviours, the more likely it is that they will become ingrained in their day-to-day activity. 

Under the ERW-RE part of the project, 3 teams of 5, each consisting of 2 groups of 2 and a team leader, who have already been trained by HALO, will target locations in Rural Damascus providing school-age children with RE activities, and materials  to  inform them about dangers of ERW. They will also provide RE material to the older generation, putting up posters about the ERW risks in besieged rural communities to increase the awareness of ERW threats. Schools and locations that were not reached in previous messaging will be the first priority. 

In addition to RE, HALO proposes that teams begin gathering data on contamination and causalities with the use of Kobo. This will require technical training which will be provided via Skype from HALO’s office in Gaziantep, Turkey. The teams will gather data by talking to local councils, hospitals and medical centres, who will direct them to affected families and communities. The information collected will be recorded into a database already designed using HALO’s experience of survivor interviews and ERW mapping, and Shafak's experience within Syria of data collection and remote monitoring through it information will be made available to share with other humanitarian actors. Data collected will then be used as a tool to plan ERW clearance in the future.

Two of the four members in each team will be trained in protection monitoring and conduct monitoring activities. These will be both observational surveys and Key Informant Interviews as developed by the Protection Monitoring Task Force (PMTF), and ad hoc/rapid protection monitoring. In each community, 5 community members will be interviewed on a monthly basis with all data collected fed back to the PMTF. All monitoring activities will be overseen by Shafak’s Senior Protection Monitoring Coordinator in Gaziantep.  The information collected will allow Shafak teams on the ground to better understand the needs of beneficiaries and be able to offer appropriate support or referrals. In addition, all data will be analysed and compiled in to reports that will be shared with the PMTF, Protection Cluster Sub-Clusters and humanitarian actors. This information can then be used to better understand protection gaps and improve future programming. It will also be used in advocacy initiatives.

A referral mechanism will be established whereby those who are identified as being particularly vulnerable, can seek additional protection or support in accordance with international best practice for services and protection intervention. This process is already underway in Rural Damascus where both HALO and Shafak are working to develop relationships with other humanitarian actors, notably with Handicap International.

Given the volatile security situation in Rural Damascus, it is important that there is contingency plan . If Rural Damascus becomes inaccessible, proposition is that projects moves to Areha and Jisr Ashogour in Southern Idleb. HALO would also consider moving the project to Rural Hama where there is reportedly a gap in existing services. Both are areas in which Shafak already operates.