Increase access to safe, inclusive and quality education for school-aged children and adolescents in Jabel Saman (Eastern side of Aleppo city) and Haritan sub-district, Aleppo. The Action aims at increasing access to improved and protective education services provision for the most vulnerable resident population and returnees living in newly accessible areas of Jabel Saman and Haritan sub-districts. The proposal is in line with the Fund’s Strategic Objective 1 (Provide lifesaving and life-sustaining humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable people with an emphasis on those in areas with high severity of needs), Sector’ Specific Objectives and SRP Strategic Objectives, responding to life-sustaining needs in underserved, high severity areas (ranked 5 and 6 by the Education severity scale), including those that are newly accessible, addressing critical gaps and expanding coverage to areas of highest need, and meeting the needs of particularly vulnerable groups, especially children and those living with disabilities.
Firstly, the Action will increase access to learning spaces by providing protected, safe and friendly environment as immediate term response through:
 Provision of Non-Formal Education services (Catch-up/Remedial classes) targeting poorly performing children at risk of drop-out in need of specific educational support to recover their gaps, exacerbated by education disruption due to Covid-19 related measures. 
 Enhancement of education facilities: rehabilitate classrooms, provide school furniture, improve and rehabilitate gender-sensitive and inclusive WASH facilities.
 Provision of education supplies for both students and teachers by stationery (School in a Box kits), school bags and teaching materials to mitigate the financial load of targeted beneficiaries. 
Secondly, the Action will increase quality of education services supporting children’s well-being in immediate and mid-term response by:
 Education personnel professional development on child-centered and protective pedagogy (PSS) and life skills education.
 Schools-based life-skills and PSS support for children, accompanying them all across the Action.

The total number of direct beneficiaries is 4,765 individuals, including 4,600 children (2,760 G and 1,840 B), and 165 teachers (99 F, 66 M).
The intervention will be implemented and continuously monitored/evaluated by GVC staff, based on its long-standing presence in Aleppo governorate and strong relations with the authorities involved in the activities. Based on the existing MoU with the Ministry of Education (MoE), the whole Action has been discussed end preliminary endorsed by the MoE and Directorate of Education (DoE), including the hard component (rehabilitation of schools and distribution of furniture and school materials) and soft component (training of teachers, NFE program and life-skills activities for children). Schools have been identified through a GVC preliminary assessment and indications from DoE, while beneficiaries for the soft component will be selected according to vulnerability criteria set in close consultation with DoE (women teachers’ will be prioritized for capacity building, while weaker children will be identified through placement tests before catch-up classes). 
GVC will also coordinate with SARC, as per existing MoU, for the implementation of PSS school-based activities. At field level, the activity will be coordinated with a pool of SARC volunteers previously trained by GVC in the framework on an ongoing project funded by the Italian Cooperation Agency.
The whole Action will be conducted adopting safe measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19, including distribution of hand sanitizer and face masks for school personnel and educators, and awareness sessions for children in catch-up classes delivered by teachers and GVC staff. GVC Engineer and Education team will constantly monitor the hard and soft components of the Action through a robust monitoring and reporting system, ensuring quality and consistency of the implemented interventions, while coordinating with DoE and other actors intervening in same and nearby areas.