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Northwest Syria: Newly Displaced IDPs Assessment (December 2020)

Countries
Syria
Sources
FAO
+ 1 more
Publication date

SUMMARY

The objective of this assessment was to determine the food security and livelihoods situation of Newly Displaced IDPs (NIDPs) and host families in Northwest Syria (NWS). Newly Displaced refers to the almost one million IDPs forced to flee their homes between December 2019 and March 2020 due to intensification of hostilities in the region, and Host Families refers to households who have taken NIDPs into their home.

A mixed methods approach was applied where quantitative data was gathered from 747 households and qualitative data collected from 50 Key Informants. Household surveys were designed to be representative of all NIDPs and host families across 28 subdistricts in NWS, as well as being representative of six NIDP categories based on their accommodation status as follows: formal camps; informal camps; rented accommodation; collective centres & schools; self-settled sites (unfinished buildings and seeking accommodation); living with hosts; as well as a seventh category comprising of the families hosting NIDPs. The qualitative aspect of 50 Key Informant Interviews was conducted with representatives of the IDP, Traders, NGO and Host Communities. The purpose of the qualitative aspect was to ‘give voice’ to the affected IDPs and communities, deepen understanding of their experience and to allow further exploration of the quantitative household data. The household survey data was collected in July 2020 and the Key Informant data in July and August 2020.

The results found that 40.7% of all NIDP and host family households are food insecure and in need of assistance, 40.7% had experienced Hunger in the month prior to the survey, and 40.4% of households had unacceptable food consumption. The situation was worse than this average for self-settled sites, informal camps and collective centres & schools for all indicators. In terms of aid provided, 31.3% of all surveyed households had received food assistance in the month of the survey or the previous month, and the rate was lower than this average for informal camps and collective centres & schools. Furthermore, 63.9% had received during the last six months. Thus, a reported 36.1% of households had not received any food assistance since the displacement. Accessing income to provide food or other essential needs is seriously impeded by depreciation of the SYP and any daily wages being paid in this currency. Furthermore, there are associated fluctuations in food prices which can happen daily or indeed during the day, which also leads to barriers in accessing credit. Adding to this the use of multiple currencies is leading to additional exchange costs, confusion and exploitation of the vulnerable. On top of this already grim situation, the impact of COVID-19 has had the effect of increasing prices due to closure of crossing points, and increased fees via open access points, as well as closing bazaars which had been a source of cheaper food.

Debts and credits are a common coping strategy with 52.9% of households having taken on debt since displacement with an average amount of debt per household as SYP 701,443. The primary reason for taking on debt was to buy food. Indeed, households reported that they purchased or borrowed food on credit an average of two days per week in the seven days preceding the survey. Spending savings was reported by 94.9% of NIDP households and borrowing money by 72.4%. Additionally, 65.7% had reduced expenditure on non-food essentials, and data showed that expenditure was very low for health and negligible for education costs. Again, the rates of use of these coping strategies was higher than average for collective centres & schools, informal camps and self-settled sites.

With regard to employment status of heads of households, 78.4% are unemployed or have no stable source of income, and 42.3% of males aged 18-59 had not worked at all in the previous month. Daily labour is the option for the vast majority of IDPs, competition for any wage is great, and availability of work is sporadic. Seeking risky jobs such as joining armed factions was prevalent and was reported to be out of necessity rather than ideology, as was the entire family needing to seek work being essential to the survival of the majority of IDPs. It was reported by all that child labour is widespread, and exploitation of women and children was also noted, particularly as they may accept a lower wage than male IDPs or the resident community. Young children ‘begging’ in the form of selling tissues or biscuits, or working in markets or rubbish sites was also widely reported.

Diets of all households are comprised mainly of cereals, fats & oils and vegetables. Consumption of both animal and vegetable proteins is low, and nutritional analysis showed that almost half of all households did not consume any hem iron rich foods possibly exposing pregnant and lactating women and children under two to nutritional deficiencies. With regard to nutrition for children aged 6 -23 months old only 28% met the standard for minimum acceptable diet, 46% met standard for minimum meal frequency and only 21% of children met standard for minimum acceptable diet. This means that 79% of children in this age range are not meeting standards for an acceptable diet for their health and development. The situation is at its worst in collective centres & schools where 0% met the standard. Complimentary foods mostly given to these children were in the two categories of grains, roots & tubers, and dairy products. Consumption of protein, Vitamin A and iron rich foods amongst these children was generally very low.

According to the host community, impacts of mass displacement include increased competition for jobs and loss of agricultural land due to establishment of camps and resultant loss of agricultural productivity. Traders noted that food is generally available due to the bulk being imported from Turkey but concurred that prices have increased. About half of traders allowed credit but noted that they had to place further restrictions due to SYP fluctuations and currency exchanges. The majority of traders noted that food assistance had overall positive impacts on the community as well as keeping markets active. This is partially due to many IDPs selling some contents of their food kits to buy other food – but this may be at lower than market value. This issue was noted by all NIDPs also and they raised the question of whether cash, vouchers or top up would be more beneficial in order for them to purchase food items themselves as well as additional needed items such as bread and vegetables. The pressure on bakeries in the areas was also noted.

In conclusion, the results of this assessment show that the food and nutrition levels amongst the NIDPs and their host families are concerning, as are the issues of child labour and worker exploitation. There is a distinct lack of, and unreliability, of income sources and a heavy reliance on debt and credit. Alongside this, the deteriorating SYP and COVID-19 context create further instability. Furthermore, the winter months are approaching and household expenditure will need to be increased for other survival needs such as shelter, fuel and clothes. Thus, it is the conclusion of the Food Security Cluster that there must be an increase in both quantity and quality of food assistance targeting those people most in need, as well as targeted nutrition interventions for children and pregnant and lactating women. Modalities and ‘top ups’ can also be considered to ensure other essential food items such as bread, vegetables, tea and sugar can be purchased. Given the lack of stability in the region and reticence for at scale livelihood investment, the Cluster encourages smaller scale initiatives which are appropriate to this context in order to bolster income and food security in the shorter and medium term as well as to ameliorate protection issues.