The Issue
Over 2.4 million people in Northeast Syria need urgent humanitarian aid. In Ar-Raqqa Governorate, thousands of families displaced by conflict live in informal settlements in tents or damaged buildings, exposed to cold winters, floods, and eviction. Most shelters lack privacy and basic insulation. Women and girls, in particular, suffer due to overcrowding and unsafe conditions.
Many families have no stable income, and households are forced to rely on negative coping strategies like pulling children from school, reducing meals, or selling personal belongings. Unemployment is high, especially among youth and women, while the cost of basic goods continues to rise.
At the same time, there are few child protection services. Children face violence, early marriage, and trauma, while parents have limited means to protect them or help them recover.
With climate change worsening floods and droughts, the region urgently needs shelter support, protection services, and job opportunities to restore dignity and security for affected families.
“I work from early morning until evening and still don’t make enough and end up in debt, Some days I couldn’t even afford bread.”Hamda, a participant in a Cash-for-Work activity to build a mud-brick house
The Project
DCA is launching a one-year, integrated response in Ar-Raqqa to improve protection, shelter, and livelihoods for over 2,400 conflict-affected people.
The project will raise the floors of tents and shelters to prevent flooding, using trained community members through a cash-for-work model. In one site, a mud-brick house will be built, offering a safer, longer-term alternative to tents. At the same time, one public building will be rehabilitated to create workspaces for vocational training graduates.
To support income generation, DCA will provide vocational and business skills training to 100 people—particularly women and youth—and distribute start-up kits and microgrants to help them launch home-based or small-scale businesses.
In parallel, DCA will operate a Community Safe Space in Ar-Raqqa City to deliver psychosocial support and child protection case management. A trained community protection network and children’s committee will work to raise awareness and report protection risks.
The project uses a community-based, inclusive approach to ensure the most vulnerable—women, girls, people with disabilities—are prioritized in every step.
This project combines emergency assistance with longer-term recovery, aiming to restore dignity and help communities recover after years of crisis.
For the first time, I saw that women can succeed in construction related work which has always been seen as men’s work.Hamda, a participant in a Cash-for-Work activity to build a mud-brick house
The Change
The project will bring immediate and lasting change to vulnerable communities in Ar-Raqqa.
By raising shelter floors and constructing a durable mud-brick home, hundreds of families will be safer from floods and harsh weather. This reduces health risks and protects basic household items from damage. The cash-for-work model provides short-term income and practical skills to displaced individuals.
Through vocational training and microgrants, women and youth will gain marketable skills and a path to financial independence. Many will be able to launch their own businesses for the first time; improving their families’ stability and self-reliance.
The child protection services will directly support children in distress, providing psychosocial support and safe spaces to play. Community-based protection networks will help identify risks early, spread awareness, and connect families to support.
As a whole, the project will help communities shift from survival to recovery. It builds skills, restores dignity, and fosters inclusion especially for groups often left behind, like women-headed households and people with disabilities.
It also equips communities to better face future shocks whether environmental, economic, or conflict-related through increased resilience and community-led solutions.
“I have learned new skills that I can use to support my family and I encourage other organizations to use Cash-for-Work, it gives women like me a chance to learn and to live with dignity.”Hamda, a participant in a Cash-for-Work activity to build a mud-brick house
IMPACT
Results expected:
- 395 people benefit from improved shelter via floor insulation and mud shelter construction.
- 105 individuals trained in vocational/business skills.
- 60 women supported with startup kits.
- 1 community building rehabilitated for women’s businesses.
- 1,030 individuals access protection services.
- Child-Friendly Space operational with PSS and case management.
- Active Community Protection Network and Children’s Committee established.
These interventions provide both immediate relief and build long-term skills and systems to help communities withstand future crises.
About the project
Full title: An integrated response to the protection, livelihoods and shelter needs of conflict and disaster affected communities in Northeast Syria (NES)
Period: January 2025 to December 2025
Partner: Self-implemented by DCA
Amount: 3,850,000 DKK
Number of people reached by end of project: 2,430
Donor: DANIDA
