In Syria, 14.6 million people* still depend on aid – 1.2 million more than last year. UNICEF estimates that $334 million is needed to provide life-saving support.

It is crucial to provide a more comprehensive humanitarian response that encompasses early recovery projects for water, sanitation, health, education, and shelter. These initiatives are critical in meeting the urgent needs of Syrians.

*The 2022 Humanitarian Needs Overview (published in February 2023)

Our Syria Rehabilitation Shelter project aims to rehabilitate 15 homes that were damaged during the Syrian Civil War.

We want to help people return to normal life in villages that have not yet received aid from the international community. We’ll provide safe and secure housing, making people less vulnerable to security threats and harsh weather conditions. They will have more dignity and privacy as well as better hygiene (as we’ll also install taps with running water).

Ultimately, we want to give people a safe and comfortable living environment, enabling them to rebuild their lives and communities.

We’ve made great progress so far – rehabilitating 15 houses for a total of 106 people.

These homes required extensive repairs to be made habitable. Our teams fitted new aluminium doors and fibreglass windows and repaired the woodwork and iron fittings. Main rooms were painted and wiring was updated, including light fittings and switches. Maintenance was carried out on the water network and sewage network. Finally, we installed accessories like lamps, tubes, and taps were installed to improve the overall living conditions.

The earthquake that struck Syria in February 2023 caused significant disruptions to the project, resulting in additional damage to many of the homes that had already been repaired.

The earthquake affected the stability of walls and foundations, so the project team had to redo cement work, causing delays to the project timeline and distress to the beneficiaries. Despite the challenges, the project team was committed to the project and successfully finished repairing all 15 homes.

This project has provided 106 people with safe, comfortable homes – which is fantastic.

Their homes are equipped with better facilities, including safe water and sanitation services – restoring their dignity and privacy.

The people we’ve rehoused are now able to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. Children are more likely to return to school, which contributes to the long-term prospects for them and the community. Overall, this project has immensely increased quality of life for more than 100 people so far – helping them not just to survive but to thrive.