Sustainable Livelihood & Environment

In the areas where PIN operates, the war has disrupted most forms of employment, with factories and other major employers forced to close. In response, People in Need has established a set of Technical Vocational Education and Training centres, staffed by skilled trainers from the local community. We provide students with transport and all the materials to undertake their training, along with equipment to sustain their new livelihood after graduation. Students receive both technical and business training, and the most successful and motivated graduates are awarded grants to launch their own small businesses.

Agricultural production in Syria has also plummeted since the start of the conflict, driving up prices for vulnerable families. Since 2014, People in Need has been training small farmers and providing them with vouchers to purchase much-needed seeds, fertilizers and tools.

Our cash-for-work activities provide short-term, temporary employment to vulnerable families to earn money through debris collection, street rehabilitation, repairing irrigation canals and schools, sowing school uniforms, and restoring water and power networks. This activity provides households a reliable income to meet their own household needs, promoting resilience and dignity whilst supporting communities and stimulating local markets.
 

• 1,226 farmers received vouchers for seeds and tools in 2020
• In 2020 19,090 people were supported through our cash-for-work programme

During the course of this project, PIN rehabilitated WASH facilities in 10 schools and distributed 2,860 hygiene kits to children in an attempt to improve the hygiene and general livelihoods of people in areas previously controlled by the self-proclaimed “Islamic State” who saw significant damage to local infrastructure. Additionally, PIN facilitated sanitary clubs and menstrual hygiene management sessions for boys and girls to teach children key behaviour techniques such as washing hands and de-stigmatizing menstruation.

Our livelihood and cash-for-work focused activities in the Bashiqa and Bahzani sub-districts strived to reduce local community’s vulnerability and support their resilience by increasing agricultural production and supporting immediate cash transfer to cover the immediate needs. Over 800 people in these districts benefited from the rehabilitation of critical irrigation schemes and crop and olive groves in 2019. These activities promote sustainability by re-activating or strengthening pre-existing livelihood opportunities while relying on and further developing already present human capital and skills through involvement of local labour force in the rehabilitation works.

In cooperation with our Alliance2015 partners, we provide multi-sectoral assistance to strengthen resilience of internally displaced persons and support recovery of host communities. Our joint programming focuses on the provision of tailored vocational and business trainings targeting urban households and distribution of business reactivation grants to support small to middle-sized businesses in regaining their momentum. Overall, we work toward the re-establishment of essential services, increased access to livelihood opportunities, improved access to water and sanitation facilities and generation of alternative sources of household income. As part of this project, we are partnering with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs (MoLSA) in supporting their Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Access to Employment centres to ensure the sustainability of our livelihood efforts even after the project’s end.