CERF-funded Project

Syrian Arab Republic

Enhance women protection and dignity and maintain the provision of maternal health and other sexual and reproductive health and GBV services during humanitarian response. (21-UF-FPA-023)

Project overview

UNFPA mitigate the contributing factors that put women and girls at risk of GBV and health risks of pregnant and lactating women (PLW) in Aleppo and Raqqa and whose lives are especially affected by multiple crises including the water crisis, the economic crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic all compounding the 10 years crisis. UNFPA has an on-going partnership with WFP through which Cash Voucher Assistance (CVA) is provided to pregnant and lactating women (PLW). PLWs enrolled in the CVA programme receive a pregnancy certificate by UNFPA or MOH facilities and, subsequently, once enrolled in the CVA programme receive a monthly e-voucher through which they can buy, in selected retailers, nutritious food (WFP) and hygiene items (UNFPA component) of their own choice. Through this CERF funding, UNFPA will provide its contribution to the e-voucher to PLWs in Aleppo and Raqqa. In light of the dire socio-economic situation exacerbated by the water and economic crises, UNFPA are also procuring and distributing dignity kits especially tailored for PLWs and their babies (“mama kits”) to strengthen provision of delivery of services in a flexible and more dignified manner. Finally, as a new pilot intervention based on field monitoring visits and women's direct feedback, UNFPA are creating neighbourhood-based peer-to-peer women educators delivering awareness information on menstrual hygiene management (MHM), importance of regular check-up visits during and after pregnancies, basic information related to spacing between pregnancies and importance on family planning concepts, and information related to nearby services for reproductive health and prevention of and response to GBV. This project targets a total of 43,889 affected people with its Protection-GBV engagement.