A new support and social development programme aimed at young Syrian refugees in Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey, as well as those from host communities, is launched.
It will last 18 months and run in three countries with the aim of involving a total of 23,500 children to improve their living conditions: it is 'Fursa. Resilient Communities', our new programme for development and social cohesion in Iraq, Turkey and Lebanon.
Promoting greater autonomy for young people from Syrian refugee communities in these three countries through social and economic inclusion processes, as well as for young people from host communities in Iraq, Lebanon and Turkey: this is the principle behind the intervention, supported by the European Community and implemented in cooperation with our partners COSV (Coordination of Organisations for Voluntary Service) and SFCG (Search for Common Ground).
Because in order to increase opportunities for labour market access and social inclusion for young people who have been forced to flee the war in Syria and find refuge elsewhere, it is also necessary to build empathy and trust between them and the young people of the communities that have taken them in.
In Iraq, the intervention will be concentrated in the areas of Dohuk and Suleimania, and in the refugee camps of Domiz and Gawilan, where a large part of the Syrian refugee community in northern Iraq resides. The goal is to reach 15,000 young people, thanks to the network of youth centres built through our 'Youth Spring Across Ethnicities' project.
In Turkey, we will operate in the areas of Kilis, Hatay and Gaziantep, with the aim of reaching at least 5,000 young people.
In Lebanon, however, the work will target 10 refugee communities in the Akkar area, totalling 3,500 people.
The project activities will be structured around 3 thematic areas: economic support, social stability and psychological support, aimed at young Syrianə refugees, young Lebanese, Turkish and Iraqiə, and among them in particular those who are most at risk of militia recruitment, child exploitation and early marriage, and who are most likely to be excluded from both the education system and the world of work.
Together with our local and international partners, we will propose a range of activities and services that, through trauma healing and resilience building processes, will encourage young refugees, displaced persons and host communities to work together to improve their economic and living conditions.
Individual, vocational, capacity-building training and round-table discussions will facilitate dialogue between young people, who will then be assisted in the implementation of micro economic development projects developed in a participatory manner.
