Increased Access to Safe Water and Quality Education Services for Conflict-Affected People in Eastern Aleppo City The 2016 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) for Syria estimates up to 12.1 million people are in need of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services, while 5.7 million youth are in need of Education services. With reference to WASH and severity of need, the 2016 HNO references Jebel Saman (Aleppo) as one of the areas of greatest concern, in particular Aleppo city, Pre-conflict Syria had one of the highest rates of education enrollment within the region, with nearly 100% enrollment within primary schools. However, following over five years of conflict in Syria, the basic enrollment rate nation-wide is now closer to 50% and approaches 0% in areas of active conflict, such as Aleppo City. 

Within this context, Big Heart Foundation aims to increase access to sustainable, community water services and quality education, delivered in safer learning spaces and responsive to the needs of crisis-affected boys and girls in Al Fardos neighbourhood of Aleppo City.  WASH activities will directly build on activities planned under the HPF emergency allocation. The borehole at Al Fardos (one of five boreholes targeted for rehabilitation under the emergency allocation) is now proposed as a target for expansion, given its location in a densely populated area of Aleppo city, as well as the fact that it has an existing high flow rate (800L/minute = 48m3/hr) and has received a positive water test analysis. Under this standard allocation and in coordination with the Aleppo City Water Directorate and Al Fardos Local Council (LC), Big Heart will enhance and assure access to sustainable water services through increasing water storage capacity and improving water distribution via additional storage reservoirs strategically placed throughout the Al Fardos neighborhood. All planned reservoirs will then be connected to the repaired Al Fardos borehole via a pipeline and a pump to draw the water to the reservoirs.  Once connected, the planned distribution network for Al Fardos, which can be seen in Annex 1, will have the capacity to provide 16.6 liters of potable water per person per day (l/p/d) for 32,500 conflict affected men, women, boys and girls. As detailed below, Big Heart will also provide technical support to the Aleppo City Water Directorate and Al Fardos LC to support long term sustainability of improved community water services through establishing cost recovery mechanisms. 

Education activities will contribute to safer learning environments that allow children to access their basic right to education. An estimated 1,600 students (of which 808 girls and 792 boys) will benefit from strengthened teacher capacity to deliver quality education responsive to the needs of conflict-affected children in improved learning environments that offer increased physical protection during times of crisis. Leveraging the WASH activities planned under the proposed action, school rehabilitation works will include improved school WASH services while Hygiene Promotion activities with students and teachers will reinforce the adoption of positive behaviours. Big Heart’s educational approach recognizes the critical role of teachers, therefore this project will see a focus on teacher development that promotes student well-being. It will enhance the learning outcomes of vulnerable children, particularly girls, in Aleppo City by training teachers in how to be more gender sensitive in both their teaching and classroom management. A participative approach will define and prioritise rehabilitation and infrastructure works and develop School Safety Plans. This will include the active involvement of students – both male and female – to ensure the specific needs of boys and girls are considered and reflected throughout the project cycle, including planning, monitoring and evaluation. Early assessment data shows encouraging numbers of girls enrollment within the targeted areas of this project and Big Heart will seek to support schools that equally target girls and boys.