The Issue
late 2024, conflict in northern Syria has displaced approximately one million individuals, with over 100,000 seeking refuge in Northeast Syria, particularly in Ar-Raqqa. Reception centers were overwhelmed, leading to overcrowded shelters in schools and public buildings. These conditions exacerbated vulnerabilities, especially for women, children, and persons with disabilities, who face heightened risks due to inadequate facilities and lack of privacy. Immediate needs included shelter and protection services to ensure safety and dignity for the displaced populations.
The project supported families forced to flee by giving them essential items to meet their basic needs and help them maintain dignity. It also provided them with safe and decent temporary shelter by providing light rehab and maintenance for collective centres. In addition, it ensured that affected individuals can access critical protection services. Abd Al-Kadir, a rightsholder residing in a collective center in Ar-Raqqa city spoke to DCA:
When the conflict escalated, we had no choice but to leave. Our lives were in danger. We travelled for three days with my family in a convoy of cars. We slept in open fields with little food and water.
The Project
DanChurchAid (DCA), in partnership with a national partner, Amal Organization for Relief and Development implemented a multi-sectoral response to address the urgent needs of displaced families in Ar-Raqqa. The project focused on four main components:
- Essential Relief Items: Distribution of ready-to-eat meals, hygiene kits, and core relief items to affected households.
- Shelter Support: Light rehabilitation of collective centers, ensuring safe and dignified temporary shelter for newly displaced individuals.
- Core Relief Items : DCA distributed stoves for heating and cooking, jerrycans, and trash bins.
- Protection Services: Provision of awareness raising sessions, psychological first aid, and simplified case management through mobile outreach teams, targeting at-risk individuals and facilitating referrals to specialized services.
The Change
- The project successfully distributed relief items to over 100 households, lightly rehabilitated seven collective centers, distributed heating kits to 123 families (563) individuals.
- Amal distributed ready to eat meals to 101 families and hygiene kits to 101 families.
- Amal provided Psychological First Aid (PFA) awareness sessions to 81 individuals, referrals and case management to 63 families.
Our Partner
Amal Organization for Relief and Development, Amal is a Syrian non-governmental, non-profit organization founded with the aim of providing lifesaving assistance and services to the most vulnerable groups, strengthening their resilience, and advocating for their fundamental rights, as well as providing recovery programs to war torn societies.
Our Work
DCA Syria has been implementing a multi-sectoral, integrated approach with the goals of saving lives and building resilient communities in Northeast Syria (NES) since 2015 to respond to the dire humanitarian needs following the Syrian conflict started in 2011. Projects focus on hard-to-reach areas with limited presence of humanitarian actors and with high protection needs. DCA thematic program areas are Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA), Protection, Shelter and Non-food items, and Early recovery and Livelihoods.
About the project
Full title: Responding to the urgent needs of the displaced families in Northeast Syria (NES)
Period: 12/2024 to 03/2025
Partner: Amal Organization for Relief and Development
Amount: Over 800,000 DKK
Number of people reached by end of project: 1334 (665 Male – 669 Female)
Donor: Humanitarian Crisis Fund