In Syria, which has been ravaged by years of conflict and crisis, the conditions of the health system continue to be unstable. Un Ponte Per has been working in the country at the service of its communities for over 15 years, with the aim of supporting them in their efforts to build a quality, public and accessible health system, in defiance of the continuous crises that the country is going through.
Despite this, there are still many people in need, especially with regard to free access to care.
This new humanitarian intervention, funded by the European Union and concentrated in the Governorate of Aleppo, aims to reach out to local populations, ensuring improved access to services for 310,000 people, 30% of whom are internally displaced, and 30% women and minors. The project also aims to strengthen the operational capacities of more than 370 health professionals and practitioners, as well as 35 local health authorities.
In the districts where UPP will operate, specific District Service Support Plans (DSSPs) for primary health care and referral services will be developed and approved in each. Primary health care facilities will be rehabilitated, equipped and made operational in line with the District Service Support Plans. Health information systems will be strengthened in the individual facilities, and integrated with the national DHIS2 (District Health Information Software) platform.
This will also make the mechanism for responding to emergencies and providing the necessary health supplies more effective. Community health initiatives in the facilities will be pursued to reach out to affected communities.
Thanks to the valuable support of the European Union, UPP will be able to guarantee assistance to the people in Syria until July 2029.
As part of the humanitarian response to the urgent needs of the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, "Drops of Hope" project aims to ensure safe access to water and to alleviate the severe shortages faced by displaced families in particular.
The project aims to directly assist 200 displaced families in the Gaza Strip, focusing on the hardest hit areas - Rafah, Khan Younis, Deir al-Balah and Nuseirat - with limited access to essential services, through the supply and installation of 250-litre water tanks, responding to the urgent need for water supply in areas where homes and infrastructure have been destroyed.
Considering an average household size of five to six persons, the intervention aims to reach more than 200 families, amounting to over 1,000 individuals. Special attention will be paid to women, recognised as vulnerable groups, by promoting their dignity and hygiene conditions through the distribution of 150 Dignity Kits and information actions on personal hygiene and menstrual cycle management in emergency contexts.
"Drops of Hope" is part of a broader humanitarian intervention that Un Ponte Per, thanks to the work of its local partners, has been carrying out in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the genocide committed by Israel. The project is being implemented in collaboration with the Italian association Yaku, which has been working for years in international cooperation projects that focus on water as a common good.
Ukraine faces ongoing devastation from Russia's full-scale invasion since February 2022, with OCHA's 2026 HNRP projecting 10.8 million people in need amid strikes, displacement, and winter challenges. Frontline oblasts like Kharkiv and Sumy face shelling, outages, and service gaps, leaving vulnerable groups in damaged homes. GBV, trauma, and MHPSS shortages plague millions. Over 1,700 children suffer from anxiety and isolation, with undertrained caregivers at burnout risk. Nearly 3,600 facilities are damaged, between them 371 schools have been destroyed.
The aim of the project “SPARK”, founded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the International Cooperation (MAECI) through the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) is to contribute to provide life-saving multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance and access to essential services to the most vulnerable persons affected by the war in Ukraine, ensuring their safety and dignity, with a particular focus on areas with high levels of need. The intervention aims to improve the protection, mental health, and psychosocial well-being of conflict-affected populations - particularly children, women, and frontline communities - through integrated protection that includes tailored material assistance, MHPSS, and educational continuity services in Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.
The project will provide legal assistance and advice to vulnerable groups, including survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) and internally displaced persons (IDPs); awareness-raising campaigns on gender-based violence and promotion of safe spaces; legal training for local professionals on rights and procedures in crisis situations to respond effectively to emergencies; distribution of essential goods (food kits, winter kits) and training to caregivers of Family Homes on psychosocial support, emergency psychology and psychological first aid.
The year 2025 marked the 25th anniversary of the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000), the cornerstone of the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda. Yet, a quarter of a century later, the implementation of this agenda remains highly inadequate, in all its aspects (participation, protection, prevention, relief and recovery). Militarisation, military occupation, intervention by external actors and authoritarian governance have characterised the conflicts in Syria, Libya, Iraq and Lebanon. Here, women have been active as peace builders, human rights defenders and first responders, yet their participation continues to be undervalued, their protection insufficient and their rights systematically denied.
Civil society organisations in the SWANA region (South West Asia and North Africa) are central to promoting peacebuilding, protection and resilience, but operate under increasingly difficult conditions. The objective of the project is to promote the active participation of women and young people from civil society in Italy, the Middle East and North Africa, through protection, prevention and political empowerment actions, in line with resolution 1325 and in support of the implementation of the fifth Italian National Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2025-2029).
During the implementation of the project, four workshops will take place between the partner organisations in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Libya. The workshops will focus on the recognition of women's rights, particularly those belonging to minorities from a legal point of view. Starting from the analysis work carried out at the national level, the project will move on to the elaboration of a regional manifesto, highlighting cross-cutting issues in Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Libya. The manifesto will be a summary document of the challenges women face in the region and will present a series of recommendations on actions to be taken in defence of women's rights and in line with the contents of the Women, Peace and Security agenda.
Two legal support and protection services will also be activated in Libya and Iraq for women activists, and for those in Iraq who faced the consequences of the reform on their personal status.
"Roots of Resilience" is a two-year project that aims to address the urgent needs of children affected by genocide, displacement and marginalised conditions through education, protection and psychosocial support.
The project supports two local partners: Ghassan Kanafani Association in Gaza, a Palestinian organisation with long experience in childhood education and psychosocial support, and Shatila Sport Center in Beirut.
In the Gaza Strip, genocide and forced displacement have severely affected the education and psychosocial wellbeing of children. Thousands of families have been forced to flee from northern Gaza and Gaza City to central and southern areas, including Deir al-Balah and Khan Younis.
Nutritious meals will be distributed, psychosocial support sessions will be ensured, educational materials and essential goods will be provided, while ensuring the continuity of educational and recreational activities by covering the salaries of the teaching staff.
In Lebanon, in the Shatila refugee camp, the project promotes the well-being and social inclusion of children and adolescents, mainly Palestinian and Syrian refugees, through sports activities.
Despite being out of the media spotlight, Lebanon continues to experience severe instability. Particularly in the southern areas, where Israeli bombardments since 2024 have never stopped, and the damage in terms of destroyed civilian structures and people still being displaced is being counted. The project fits into this delicate context, with the aim of involving 7 schools located in as many villages in the south of Lebanon, and in particular in the Governorates of Tyre and Nabatiyeh, areas that have been heavily affected by Israeli aggression during 2024, and still under pressure from repeated and continuous attacks.
The intervention, implemented together with a wide network of local partners, has 3 different components: the first focused on the rehabilitation of school buildings affected by the bombings, in order to renovate them and also make them more accessible and prepared for emergency responses, through the preparation of dedicated contingency plans for each school and specific training; the second component involves the integration of schooling paths that have been interrupted due to the conflict, through remedial classes, psychological support sessions, child protection interventions and emergency preparedness; finally, the third involves strengthening the skills of school staff in all these areas.
Despite significant legal progress in Jordan for persons with disabilities (PwD), women, men, boys and girls continue to face obstacles in meeting their needs and exercising their rights due to both an underfunded public system and socio-cultural and economic barriers.The demand for health services has increased over the years for the Syrian refugee community, putting pressure on the national health system, and costs remain very high. In this context, the provision of specialised services for people with disabilities remains a major concern. The aim of the project is therefore to contribute to improving the health status of Syrian refugee persons and the host community with disabilities, with particular attention to the plight of women and girls, by meeting their health needs. Furthermore, it is intended to increase access to home-based rehabilitation assistance and empower people with disabilities and their caregivers with self-help techniques in the provinces of Amman, Irbid and Zarqa. Home assistance will be provided, mobility aids will be distributed and specific training sessions will be organised for 261 people.
The repeated and layered crisis that has been affecting Lebanon since 2019 and the recent Israeli war on the Lebanese territory have resulted in uncertainty, massive job loss, unemployment and deteriorating working conditions, especially for youth, women and people with disabilities, and in increasing challenges faced by micro, small and medium enterprises. The area of Baalbek-Hermel, historically marginalised and mostly rural and agricultural, has been hit heavier than other regions.
Tourism has always represented a crucial source of income and employment for the country, despite having been too often Beirut-centred. Despite the potential to attract tourists and the presence of the historical site of Baalbek, the area of Baalbek-Hermel suffers from marginalization due to several reasons.
The purpose of this project is To contribute to the human, economic and social development at the local level by strengthening synergies among public, private, and non-profit stakeholders, and to boost local economies through the promotion of inclusive development and business oriented to public value and social impact.
The first component, after having mapped all elements with tourism potential, will support existing enterprises through technical and financial assistance to improve productivity, diversify the tourism offer and reduce their environmental impact. In Baalbek the intervention will support businesses operating in the hospitality sector and the start-up of home-based hospitality activities. The second axis will promote new job opportunities for vulnerable individuals, who will receive vocational training courses in the hospitality and tourism sectors.
The project adopts an integrated approach, involving all stakeholders and intervening at different levels to improve the tourism sector and create lasting change.
Through a participatory approach and a close collaboration with Unions of Municipalities, the intervention aims both to the revitalisation of local economies through the strengthening of economic actors.
The project was initiated in response to the dramatic crisis in the health system in north-east Syria, a direct consequence of US funding cuts and mass displacements in early 2025. As of April, as many as 68 health facilities risked closure and only one in sixteen public hospitals remained fully functional, depriving millions of people of access to essential, life-saving care. Paying the highest price were pregnant women, children and patients with chronic diseases or life-threatening conditions, forced to live without any guarantee of healthcare. In the camps for displaced people, conditions are even more dramatic: overcrowding, poor water and sanitation infrastructure, and lack of basic care have increased the risk of epidemics such as cholera and respiratory infections, while the suspension of support to the National Hospital in Hassakeh has deprived more than 333,000 people of the only public referral point for specialist care.
Through BRIDGE, Un Ponte Per, in partnership with ACTED and with the support of the Syrian Humanitarian Fund, provides free integrated health care to the displaced population and host communities in the areas of Hassakeh, Deir-ez-Zor and Raqqa. The project supports seven health facilities managed by the UPP and KRC: four primary care centres in the camps of Areesha, Al Hol, Serekaniye and Abu Khashab, two centres outside the camps in Tel Tamer and Maabadeh, as well as the Raqqa Ambulance Centre. Activities include the provision of drugs and medical devices, training of health personnel, strengthening maternal and child health and emergency services, and strengthening the system for sending patients to specialist care.
Particular attention is paid to the Hassakeh National Hospital, with full coverage of the costs of surgery, diagnostic tests and treatment for displaced persons, removing economic barriers that had made access to vital care impossible. If services are not available at the hospital, UPP guarantees the transfer and reimbursement of costs to other referral facilities, such as the hospitals in Qamishli.
The project directly reaches more than 107,000 people - 70,901 in the camps, 35,863 in the host communities and 322 refugees - but also strengthens the entire local health system, with indirect benefits for thousands of people, including the inhabitants of the city of Raqqa who will be able to access specialist care through the ambulance system.
A work that Un Ponte Per has been carrying out for more than 15 years, with the aim of guaranteeing continuous access to quality care, from basic healthcare to hospital services, and to strengthen the local health system through the provision of equipment, staff training and health monitoring.
Since the beginning of Israel's genocidal military offensive on 7 October 2023, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is beyond humanitarian catastrophe. Among the civilian infrastructures indiscriminately affected are those that have always ensured the livelihood of families and communities, such as agriculture and fishing. Fishing activities in particular, which historically have been a primary source of livelihood for thousands of people in Gaza, are now almost completely disrupted due to the military offensive and the destruction of boats, materials needed for activities, and storage facilities.
This new intervention by Un Ponte Per, made possible by the support of FLAI-CGIL, aims to strengthen the food security and resilience of fishing communities in Gaza, providing tools for boat rehabilitation, fishing nets and technical assistance.
The materials will be distributed by our local partner - the Union of Agricultural Working Committees (UAWC) - to about 50 fishing communities, reaching out 400 direct and indirect beneficiaries, including their families, target communities, fish vendors and distributors. In addition to direct aid, the intervention aims to monitor the ongoing human rights violations against the livelihoods of the local population, providing direct evidence of the same violations and advocacy work with international actors to demand the immediate protection of the Palestinian population.
