Syria: reconstruction after the earthquake

We have started implementing the second phase of the project, focused on building communities' resilience and improving social cohesion, by strengthening the psychosocial activities and the reconstruction of houses and building, in cooperation with local political and religious authorities.

ACTIVITIES:

Identification of beneficiaries:

For the identification of beneficiaries, ProTS recorded the needs of families in the targeted areas, considering the following criteria: financial situation, number of children or infants, presence of family members with chronic diseases or other serious health problems, mental or physical disabilities, etc., the support received from other projects. Special attention has also been given to the inclusion of female-headed households. In general, ProTS has considered as priority the inclusion of the most vulnerable, such as children, women and people with disability, and the evacuated / homeless people; it is finally important to mention that ProTS is supporting all the people asking for help at the various centers active, with all the resources available.

Houses and buildings assessment:

From data provided by the Aleppo Municipality, 56 buildings in the city have been completely destroyed. About 900 are very unsafe (uninhabitable) and 5,300 damaged and being assessed. The buildings checked so far represent only 35% of the city.
In the Idlib area, as a first needs assessment immediately after the first earthquake, Fr. Luai visited all the houses, together with a committee of civil engineers. This committee of civil engineers consists of 8 people, 6 civil engineers and 2 supervisors. Most of the engineers have work experience of about 20-25 years. This committee, together with 6 volunteers from the different areas of the villages (Knaye, Yacoubieh and Jdaideh) and very close to the beneficiaries, made the first comprehensive assessment of all damaged houses. For each house, a brief report was prepared in Arabic on the needs and materials to be used for repairs. Fuased on this assessment, the houses and apartments were divided into categories A, B, and C, and average intervention costs were calculated.Following the initial assessment of earthquake damage, the following was found:

- Knaye Village: 70% of the houses are damaged with medium to severe damage;
- Village of Yacoubieh: 30% of the houses are completely destroyed;
- Village of Jdaideh: 40% of the houses were heavily damaged.

In general, ProTS will continue to conduct field visits to assess the living conditions of beneficiaries, the impact of the services provided, and the inclusion of new people living in vulnerable conditions in further activities.

Reconstruction:

As for the second phase, the project mainly contributed to the implementation of three types of activities:

i. Rehabilitation of houses that suffered damage from the earthquake;

ii. Reconstruction work in houses that suffered extensive damage;

iii. Support for families in severe hardship in paying rent, in the case of houses with damage that cannot be recovered through rehabilitation works.

The total number of families reached by the reconstruction activity under the present project is equal to 118 (out of the expected result of 180 families).

FUTURE PROSPECTIVES:

In the coming months, ProTS will continue the rehabilitation of houses and buildings, in order to help people return to their homes and life. Finally, the psycho-social support component will be enhanced, in a way to provide people with the adequate psychological instruments to build resilience and trust in the future.