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Syria Arab Republic: Shelter/NFI Sector Whole of Syria Winter Assistance Update (As of 1 November 2020)

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In 2020, an estimated 11.06 million people are in need of some form of humanitarian assistance in Syria. This includes 4.65 million people in acute need. As the crisis enters its tenth year, 6.7 million people remain internally displaced, which is further exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic and deteriorating economic conditions.

An estimated 33 per cent of IDPs live in inadequate shelter conditions, including damaged and/or unfinished buildings, public buildings such as schools, and other nonresidential buildings. Geographically, poor shelter conditions are most prevalent in Idleb, Aleppo, Rural Damascus governorates, Ar-Raqqa city and in camps in the northeast and northwest. The health and safety effects of such conditions become more profound during the winter season.

The Shelter & NFI sectors’ partners will continue to deliver life-saving assistance to vulnerable communities. The Sectors plan to reach 2.9M people with assistance during this winter season with a focus on beneficiaries residing in camps, collective shelters, informal settlements and areas of high altitude and snowfall. The Sectors will utilize a variety of response mechanisms including cash support, vouchers and in-kind distributions. So far, partners have been able to reach more than 300,000 individuals across Syria with planned winterization activities and will continue to deliver assistance through the upcoming months.

Critical gaps have been identified in the informal settlements in Northwest where mainly tents and makeshift shelters are not appropriately weatherized to withstand harsh conditions. In Northeast, deteriorating, poorly isolated and overcrowded collective shelters are putting residents at a greater risk of contracting Covid-19, especially with the approaching winter. Many continue to live in areas with high elevation and snowfall with inadequate shelter including Rural Damascus. Across the country heating solutions and fuel are an urgent need.