The second phase of the 'Masahat Amina (Safe Spaces)' intervention aims to improve access to protection services for the most vulnerable groups among the refugee and host communities in Jordan, with a focus on women and girls at risk or survivors of gender-based violence, children at risk of violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation, people with disabilities and their caregivers. The project envisages the strengthening of basic social services: integrated case management services, psychosocial support, mental health, safe spaces for empowerment, community-based awareness-raising campaigns, legal assistance and rehabilitation for persons with disabilities, and economic support for the self-protection of vulnerable groups through cash assistance services, training opportunities and income-generating activities.

The initiative aims to strengthen the response capacities of local actors through an integrated training plan for the staff of partner organisations, which includes specific meetings on child protection, women's protection, gender-based violence and psychosocial support with a focus on technology-facilitated gender-based violence (TF-GBV). Furthermore, the project aims to promote the active participation of communities in protection and social inclusion mechanisms to ensure the local sustainability of the intervention.

In the context of the Syrian conflict, local institutions in the North East have been working for some time to ensure the strengthening of protection systems for the population. Among these, environmental and ecological protection is one of the main axes of engagement in the region, to ensure ecological sustainability through the strengthening of the waste management system - including sanitation - at local and regional levels. Since 2019, Un Ponte Per, together with its local partner Kurdish Red Crescent (KRC), the local authorities and thanks to the support of the Area Mertopolitana de Barcelona (AMB) and the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, has been promoting training activities that have laid the foundations for the first pilot project for waste recycling at municipal level in north-east Syria.

The aim of this intervention is to contribute to the protection of environmental rights and the right to health for the local population, through capacity building of local administrations and raising awareness of environmental and recycling issues among citizens, leading to the launch of the first recycling system in the Hasakeh area in 2022.

With the new 'Gemar Zero' (Zero Waste) project, supported by the Autonomous Province of Bozen/Bolzano, the intention is to strengthen the established recycling system by actively supporting the Hasakeh municipality to help it expand and upgrade the system by involving more and more inhabitants, businesses and cooperatives.

The conflict in Syria has caused a severe humanitarian crisis that has deeply affected the civilian population for more than a decade.

In addition, recent earthquakes in Feb 2023 in the region, especially in the Kobane district, have further aggravated the situation, affecting water infrastructure and increasing the vulnerability of the population.

This project aims to enhance the human security of earthquake-affected populations in Kobane, Northeast Syria, through a multi-sectoral approach. The intervention focuses on improving access to safe water resources and build the capacities of water agency staff on water quality tests by using specific tools. The strategy behind the intervention is built on three cross-cutting objectives: empowering local authorities through training, building resilience through rehabilitation efforts, Through this comprehensive approach, the project seeks to address immediate needs while laying the groundwork for long-term improvements in the health safety, and well-being of affected communities in Kobane and the wider region.

With the objective of sustaining the population, UPP participate in a new health intervention for the conflict and earthquake-affected people in the rural area of Kobane district. As per project, the main objectives will be to strengthen the resilience of the vulnerable population - with a special focus on women and children - affected by the earthquake in Kobane by improving access to water; promoting access to safe education; and strengthening the protection of the most vulnerable people.

The project aims to improve water quality testing in Northeast Syria (NES) in general and in Kobane in particular. Ten water testing kits will be purchased and distributed to water agencies in the region. UPP WASH team, in collaboration with local water agency staff, will conduct trainings on water testing in healthcare centers and communities based on identified needs. This initiative will improve water quality and availability for approximately 54,000 population in Kobane as a direct beneficiaries.

In line with Un Ponte Per's strategy with respect to its work in Italy, focused among other things on the fight against climate change and the reduction of environmental impact, the objective of "Climate Sentinels" is to strengthen the knowledge and awareness of teachers, students, communities and institutions towards the construction of a conscious and active citizenship able to oppose climate change with practical actions. The project in particular focuses on training secondary school teaching staff on the topic of climate change, providing tools, educational approaches and sharing good practices; and on the student body, involved in educational programmes based on active participation, hands-on workshops, local and global knowledge sharing and advocacy practices. Entire communities are involved, for the development and adoption of PACs (alliance plans between schools, local authorities and civil society actors), with the aim of working together to combat climate change. The project focuses in particular on Piedmont, where UPP has been active for years with non-formal education programmes within schools.

Between 2019 and 2024, Un Ponte Per, thanks to funds from the Italian National Plan of Action to implement UN Resolution 1325 aimed at strengthening the role of women and youth in peace-building, particularly in the area of West Asia and North Africa (SWANA), worked with numerous civil society organisations in Lebanon, Iraq, Libya, Tunisia and Italy through several projects. These include Engendering Peace and Kaleidoscope of Peace (Iraq, Lebanon), and Woman Waving Peace (Tunisia, Libya, Iraq). In 2023, the work continued with the Women Peacebuilders in Action intervention, and continues today with this new action plan.

The aim is to provide training for civil society organisations, and in particular women and young people, on the pillars of participation, prevention and protection contained in Resolution 1325, strengthening the leadership roles of young people and women, their political participation, the protection of minorities and human rights defenders, with active involvement in inter-community, inter-generational dialogue processes and peace building.

In the coming months, 10 civil society organisations in Italy, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya and Tunisia will be united in a transnational network, and at least 100 activists will be trained to strengthen their work and carry out advocacy actions at the national and European level on peacebuilding, conflict transformation and the participation of women and youth.

The humanitarian situation in north east Syria continues to deteriorate, with serious gaps in essential services, including education. The lack of adequate educational facilities and the high cost of services are among the main causes of school drop-outs, while unemployment and poverty prevent families from supporting lə children in accessing education.

To address the current gaps in education in Raqqa, Un Ponte Per, in cooperation with local partner DOZ, will provide non-formal education services for childrenə and lə their tutorsə. The aim is to help themə catch up with formal education in schools and integrate into their school age group, improving their educational level. The activities will take place in the Safe Spaces for women and children survivors or at risk of violence and exploitation that Un Ponte Per has opened in Raqqa thanks to the support of the Italian Buddhist Institute Soka Gakkai (IBISG), active since 2021.

Non-formal education services will be available both for children and adolescents (9-17 years old) who attend school and for those who have dropped out or are no longer attending school. In addition, literacy classes will be offered to carers, mainly women, who will also benefit from protection services at Safe Spaces.

In response to the lack of facilities and economic difficulties that cause school drop-outs, the project will also offer free transport, ensuring safe and continuous access to courses.

The project also aims to strengthen social cohesion by integrating non-formal education and protection activities with specific non-violent conflict resolution education activities.

The activities are designed to be sustainable in the long term, combining non-formal education, protection and capacity building for adultsə and childrenə, with the aim of creating a lasting impact in the community.

More information on the previous phases of the project - called 'Darna al Aman' - is available in our archive.

In Italy, Un Ponte Per has been active for some time with projects that focus in particular on the area of Monza and Brianza, thanks to the support of a very active local committee and a wide network of collaborations with local realities. "Dress Green" is a project that fits into this sphere of intervention, with the aim of analysing the panorama of third-sector organisations involved in the collection of garments in good condition in Monza, and then providing tailoring skills to repair faulty clothes in good condition, thus reducing textile waste, providing support and opportunities for personal and professional development to women who are experiencing a period of social and economic hardship, offering them a way to improve their job prospects and overall well-being.

As an end result, citizenship will be sensitised to a more sustainable consumption and purchasing system also by acquiring skills on the problem of 'fast fashion' and its impacts on the environment and communities.

The work in Italy of Un Ponte Per, which has been active for many years in first and second grade schools, particularly in the Monza and Milan area, to promote non-formal education courses aimed at students living in situations of difficulty and hardship, continues. The 'iSchool Lab' is also part of this track, an initiative carried out with a network of local associations and aimed at students at the Liceo statale Parini high school in Seregno (MB) and the Professional Institute for Commercial and Tourist Services in Meda (MB), to help them identify, understand and manage their feelings in a healthy and effective way; to provide practical tools to improve their emotional, mental and physical wellbeing; to help them explore their passions, interests and talents in order to make informed decisions about their future career and life path. Through a range of activities and workshops - including social circus and poetry slam - the aim is to encourage young people to take control of their lives, developing self-confidence and self-determination skills, in a welcoming and inclusive environment where they can openly express their thoughts, feelings and concerns without judgement.

Lebanon has been experiencing a terrible economic crisis since 2019, compounded by the Covid-19 pandemic and, recently, the Israeli offensive. The population's living conditions and food security are at risk, and around 2 million people are suffering from economic instability and food insecurity. Social tensions are exacerbating the country's already precarious economic conditions, which threaten to exacerbate the inter-communal conflicts already present, especially in rural areas where the scarcity of resources is most felt.

With this intervention, Un Ponte Per, which has been working in the country for years, intends to strengthen socio-economic conditions, development and social cohesion particularly in the area of Mount Lebanon and Baalbek, in villages where Christian communities are a minority and suffer from particular economic fragility. The 'Peace Gardens' project will work to strengthen social cohesion between communities to ensure better living conditions. The intervention is particularly aimed at agricultural workers, small farmers and micro-cooperatives, who will be reached by training and education on economic management, innovative agricultural techniques and meetings on religious and community coexistence.

In Syria, Un Ponte Per has been working since 2015, with a specific focus on supporting and rehabilitating the local health system, severely affected by years of conflict. In the north-eastern area in particular, UPP works with a wide-ranging perspective, also supporting local municipalities in the creation of a recycling system for urban and sanitary waste to protect the environment. With this aim, the 'Sun and Health' project intends to strengthen the use of clean energy and at the same time facilitate access to electricity for the supported health facilities, while reducing pollution due to the extensive use of generators. With this intervention it will be possible to install 18 solar panels on the clinics that UPP supports run by the local partner, the Kurdish Red Crescent (KRC), which provide free treatment to 540,000 people in the area. This is a pilot initiative that will be gradually extended to other areas in north-east Syria.