Highlights
Inside Syria, at least 100,000 people have reportedly been displaced as a result of the intensified fighting in Aleppo and Dara’a Governates. It is estimated that over 50,000 people have fled their homes in Aleppo Governorate northbound towards the Turkish border and in Western rural Aleppo. 80% are reported to be children and women. Humanitarian access to the nearly 30,000 people (20,000 children) living in, previously hard to reach, Nubul and Zahra was achieved with a UNICEF convoy.
Water supply to major parts of Aleppo continues to be cut off, since January 16th . In response to the increased needs, UNICEF scaled up its existing water trucking operation to provide 5 million liters of water per day in January, benefiting approximately 340,000 people.
In Dara’a, UNICEF has provided emergency health kits for 35,000 people to six health facilities and distributed hygiene kits to 45,000 of the estimated over 70,000 recently displaced.
In Jordan, there are currently 24,000 Syrian asylum-seekers gathered at the Berm in the remote locations of Rukban and Hadalat. Over half of the population are children, including over 4,300 children under the age of 5 years. As of 21 January, UNICEF is providing on-site support and counselling on infant and child nutrition at mobile caravans located at Rukban and Hadalat.
In Turkey, in January, UNICEF, together with partners Danish Refugee Council and Welthungerhilfe, distributed unconditional cash or in-kind assistance to 3,660 vulnerable Syrian households – benefitting approximately 18,300 people – in the provinces of Şanlıurfa and Mardin. Under this programme each household receives a voucher or cash payment (value $150-$200) from which they can purchase much-needed heating materials, supplies and warm clothing.
In Iraq, as part of UNICEF’s ‘Warm for Winter’ project, Syrian refugee children and pregnant women were provided winter clothes in order to protect them from harsh winter. 16,956 Syrian refugees (7,788 boys, 8,653 girls and 515 pregnant women) in Domiz 1 and 2 received winter clothing kits and shoes for children aged 0-14 years.
In Lebanon, between December 2015 and January 2016, over 90,000 Syrian refugee children received a one-time USD40 winter cash grant from UNICEF and interagency partners. In addition, over 30,000 Syrian refugee children received age-appropriate winter clothing kits in high-altitude and hard-to-reach areas (Wadi Khaled, Akroom, Qaa and Aarsal).
In Egypt, UNICEF continues to maintain 50 community kindergartens established in 6 governorates (Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Damietta, Sharqiya, and Qaliyubia). UNICEF provided these kindergartens with furniture, computers, educational materials, rent, transportation, and teachers’ salaries. UNICEF supported over 13,000 Syrian children to access education.
Syria
Humanitarian Overview: Inside Syria, at least 100,000 people have reportedly been displaced as a result of the intensified fighting in Aleppo and Dara’a Governates. It is estimated that over 50,000 people have fled their homes in Aleppo Governorate northbound towards the Turkish border and in Western rural Aleppo. 80% are reported to be children and women. Humanitarian access to the nearly 30,000 people (20,000 children) living in, previously hard to reach, Nubul and Zahra was achieved with a UNICEF convoy. Water supply to major parts of Aleppo continues to be cut off, since January 16th . In response to the increased needs, UNICEF scaled up its existing water trucking operation to provide 5 million liters of water per day in January, benefiting approximately 340,000 people. In Dara’a,
UNICEF has provided emergency health kits for 35,000 people to six health facilities and distributed hygiene kits to 45,000 of the estimated over 70,000 recently displaced.
In January 2016, UNICEF delivered supplies for 52,500 beneficiaries through three inter-agency cross-line convoys including water, sanitation and hygiene supplies for 32,500 people (20,000 in Al Waer, Homs Governorate; 12,500 in Foah and Kafraya, Idleb Governorate); winter kits, including clothes and blankets, for 36,634 children (14,634 in Homs; 4,000 in Foah; 18,000 in Madaya); primary health care and medical supplies for 28,000 mothers and children in Foah and Madaya and nutrition supplements and services for 14,785 children and pregnant/lactating women (4,695 in Foah; 10,090 in Madaya). In addition, UNICEF supported the rehabilitation of WASH system in the besieged area of Harasta (Rural Damascus) in January to benefit 3,400 people.
Under the Four Towns Agreement covering Zabadani, Madaya, Foah and Kafraya, UNICEF delivered supplies for 32,500 people through interagency convoys organised on the 11th, 14th, and 18th of January. The breakdown of deliveries during the reporting period as follows:
Water, hygiene and sanitation supplies for 12,500 people in Foah/Kafraya;
Essential medical supplies for 28,000 children and mothers in two areas (8,000 in Foah; 20,000 in Madaya).
Complementary feeding and micronutrient supplementation for 14,785 children and mothers in two areas (4,695 in Foah; 10,090 in Madaya).
Winter clothes kits and blankets for 22,000 children in two areas (4,000 in Foah; 18,000 in Madaya).
Education: During the reporting period, 12,925 children were provided with essential learning materials including school bags, textbooks and stationary in Aleppo, Al-Hasakeh, Homs, Hama and Lattakia. In addition, 16,500 children in Homs benefitted from remedial education classes of Arabic, English, Math and Science, through UNICEF’s partners. Three schools in Lattakia and Tartous were rehabilitated proving a better learning environment to over 3,300 children. Provision of nine prefabricated classrooms in Hama provided additional learning space for 330 children.
WASH: In Aleppo the deliberate shut down of the Khafsa water treatment facility continues since the 16th of January, further reducing the access to safe drinking water for the majority of the population in the governorate. In response to the increased needs, UNICEF scaled up its existing water trucking operation to provide 5 million litres of water per day in January, benefiting approximately 340,000 people.
In Idleb, UNICEF contractors rehabilitated 34 water pumps and 35 electrical control panels in water pumping stations located in Al Ma’ara, Ariha, Harim, Ma’arat Alnoman and Al-Jesr districts, thus providing access to water for nearly 300,000 people living in about 20 villages across the governorate.
In Raqqa, UNICEF delivered an additional 100 tons of water disinfectant (sodium hypochlorite), sufficient to meet the drinking water needs of the entire population of the governorate (more than 691,000 individuals), for over 2 months. This brings the total amount of water disinfectant delivered in Raqqa since July 2015 to 320 tons. As an emergency preparedness measure, UNICEF also delivered 5 million aqua-tabs, sufficient to treat 20 million liters of water at household level.
Health and Nutrition: In January, more than 96,000 Syrian children and mothers benefitted from medical treatments (including 13,000 through mobile teams) in Aleppo, Al Hasakeh, Damascus, Homs, Lattakia, Rural Damascus and Tartous. Restrictions in the provision of surgical supplies persist. UNICEF delivered 400,000 doses of TT vaccine, 450,000 doses of Hepatitis B vaccine, and 310,000 doses of BCG vaccine, to the Ministry of Health in January in support of the national immunization plan.
A total of 50,742 children and mothers received nutrition support, including 24,500 in five hard to reach areas: Qusaya (Rural Damascus);
Eastern Aleppo City and Raju (Aleppo), Al-Rastan and Ghanto (Homs). Services delivered included screening for acute malnutrition, treatment of moderate and acute malnutrition, distribution of nutrition items to prevent acute malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies among children under five and pregnant and lactating mothers.
Around 300 children under-five were admitted in established nutrition centers for acute malnutrition treatment in 10 Governorates. In addition, more than 9,900 women at child bearing age benefitted from counselling on infant and young child feeding in nutrition centers or through outreach teams in nine Governorates, out of which 7,028 were screened for malnutrition and 3,763 received multiple micronutrient supplementation (MMNs). 92 front-line health workers were trained on Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) and Community Management of Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) guidelines in Aleppo, Hama and Al-Hassakeh governorates.
Child Protection: UNICEF and its partners provided structured and sustained Psychosocial support (PSS) to over 10,000 persons, including more than 7,900 children (3,791 girls & 4,110 boys) and more than 1,000 parents (1,004 women and 15 men), through fixed and mobile child-friendly spaces (CFSs) in eight governorates. In addition, 667 children (348 girls and 319 boys) benefited from provision of recreational kits in Aleppo, Damascus, Hama, Homs, Lattakia, Tartous, Quneitra and Rural Damascus.
A total of 276 providers of child protection and PSS services participated in UNICEF-supported capacity development interventions in Aleppo, Hama and Homs governorates.
Adolescents and Youth: In January 2016, 53,896 adolescents and youth (10-24 years old) improved their life skills through access to life and vocational skills development, PSS services and opportunities for civic engagement, adolescent development and participation supported by UNICEF and its partners. Out of these, 102 young people received vocational and life skills training in hard-to-reach areas.
Basic Services: UNICEF delivered winter kits and blankets to 102,431 children during the month of January 2016, including over 3,600 in hard to reach areas.
Cross border: Since the beginning of the year, cross border interventions, sanctioned under Security Council Resolutions 2165/2191, facilitated access in Northern and Southern Syria supported operation and maintenance of water and sanitation systems for 396,856 people inside Syria and provided essential WASH NFIs to 38,308 people, provided over 8,000 children and parents with structured and sustained PSS programming and over 3,000 individuals with Risk Education awareness training, delivered emergency NFI assistance to 124,950 people and provided essential learning materials to over 4,000 children