Earthquake: emergency response to basic needs

Launched in an emergency situation in a context already heavily affected by 12 years of conflict, the project will enable the affected populations to cope with the traumatic emergency situation while strengthening their resilience to future shocks. The intervention will be located in the city of Aleppo, in the Jebel Saman district, specifically in the following schools:

• Alnidal Alarabi school
• Shahoud Darwish school
• Mahmoud Kanaan school

In addition, the earthquake has weakened the education system, which was already undermined by the crisis, and children are falling further behind in their learning, particularly those preparing for the brevet and baccalauréat exams scheduled for the end of May and June 2023. 2,947 schools have been damaged in northern Syria, including 359 in and around the city of Aleppo. Parents, still traumatised, are afraid to send their children back to school because they have no faith in the vigilance of teachers, who will have to protect children in the event of another disaster because they are not trained in these protocols. Children who lost everything in the earthquake also need educational materials to return to school.

The earthquake has exacerbated the protection risks that children face first and foremost: health risks (lack of medical care, lack of hygiene, lack of food, etc.), family risks (break-up of the family unit, parental neglect, abandonment, etc.), economic risks (children working to support the family) and social risks (dropping out of school, physical and psychological violence, early marriages, etc.).

Children already traumatised by the war are confronted with the consequences of the natural disaster, and the majority of them present profound post-traumatic symptoms such as fear, anxiety, lack of concentration and depression, which directly affect their short- and long-term well-being. Parents and teachers, who are also traumatised, also need psychosocial support.

The project has the following objectives :

• Ensure the reintegration and retention of children affected by the earthquake in school;
• Alleviate earthquake-related trauma for children, parents and teachers;
• Improve access to hygiene and sanitation for displaced populations affected by the earthquake.