Protecting Children in Emergencies: Perspectives from Syria and Ukraine
By Emily Galloway, Tarek Fakhereddin, Nataliia Biloshytska and Tania Dudnyk Global Communities has a rich history of providing emergency aid and protection services to refugees and internally displaced people in many crisis settings, from Ukraine and Gaza to Syria and Guatemala. This includes our Child Protection in Emergencies (CPiE) programming, which supports the well-being of…
Read MoreAdapting and Innovating in a Volatile World: Reflections from the 2024 Fragility Forum
By Paula Rudnicka, Sr. Manager for Public Affairs Last month, the World Bank held its 2024 Fragility Forum – a biannual conference that brings together policymakers, researchers and practitioners from humanitarian, development and peacebuilding communities to exchange knowledge and ideas about how to improve our approaches in fragile, conflict and violence-affected settings. This year’s theme…
Read MorePreventing and Responding to Gender-based Violence in Humanitarian Settings
By Emily Galloway, Sr. Advisor for Global Protection, Global Communities Gender-based violence (GBV) is a pervasive issue that disproportionately affects women, girls and vulnerable individuals during emergencies. In disaster or conflict-affected areas, gender inequalities and power dynamics can both exacerbate existing risks of GBV and create new ones. While risks are always context-specific, we see…
Read MoreHygiene Promotion Team Protects Families from Diseases in Northwest Syria
By Adile Sahin Ali, 37, lives with six family members in Atmeh, which hosts more than 157,400 internally displaced people in northwest Syria. The camp was established in 2011, following the start of the country’s now decades-long conflict, and sits on graded agricultural land that lacks a proper sewage drainage system. Over the last 10…
Read MoreGlobal Communities Ramps up WASH Services in Response to Cholera Outbreak in Syria
Atmeh, Syria – Global Communities is responding to a major cholera outbreak that has been spreading across Syria, ramping up water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services for more than 157,000 internally displaced people at Atmeh camp in northwest Syria. Between August 25 and November 5, at least 35,569 suspected cases – including 92 deaths –…
Read MoreRight to Care: Family-Centered Approaches for Vulnerable Children and Adolescents
By Betty Adera The impact of disasters, complexities of humanitarian crises and ongoing effects of climate change pose major threats to the lives of children. These challenges impact the most vulnerable among us and expose them to health, water and food insecurity; exploitation and sexual violence; deprivation and neglect. Long-standing, systemic human and child rights…
Read MoreDisaster Planning Pays Off in Northwest Syria
By Adile Sahin Originally from Hama, Asem has been displaced several times, like most Syrians, to escape the war at home. First forced to flee in 2012, he was displaced to the Idleb countryside, where he opened a hygiene materials shop. However, the village was later bombed by an air strike, during which Asem suffered…
Read MoreFinding a Safe Space in Syria: Hamida’s Story
For more than half of her life, Hamida has been exposed to the trauma, violence and instability of war. The 20-year-old, whose name has been changed to protect her identity, is one of 14.6 million people currently in need of humanitarian assistance due to the ongoing crisis in Syria. Recognizing that women and girls often…
Read MoreSupporting Displaced Livestock Breeders in Northwest Syria
Due to ongoing conflict and drought, the livestock assets of Syrians are eroding, further increasing the risk of food insecurity for people like Samira. The 30-year-old widow was displaced from her home in southern Idlib and currently lives in the Armanaz sub-district with her four children. While the family was able to bring livestock with…
Read MoreMentorship Program Offers a Helping Hand for Young Syrians
While the conflict in Syria has lasted more than a decade, protection risks remain high across the country and have been heightened by the coronavirus pandemic. With funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID/BHA), Global Communities is currently implementing Response Operations for the Syria Emergency III (ROSE III) program…
Read MoreProgramming in Syria has Great Impact on Food Insecurity
A more than ten-year-long crisis in Syria has affected the country’s entire population. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have been killed and millions have been displaced, fleeing to avoid the fighting. Displaced families make up two-thirds of the population of Northwest Syria. According to the 2020 Humanitarian Needs Overview, more than 9 million people are food insecure across…
Read MoreYouth Publisher on Track to Professional Success
A talented youth discovers his true capacity and welcomes new opportunities Abdullah Natour, 25, resides in Ras Alin. He earned Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from the University of Jerash, and though an architect by education, deep down he always wanted to be a visual storyteller, combining his love for design with his passion for telling…
Read MoreWASH Capacity in Humanitarian Emergencies in Syria
Global Communities has been implementing WASH programming in Syria since 2016, with support from OFDA and UNOCHA. Our work focuses on the provision of basic WASH services to a large cluster of formal camps in northwest Syria, reaching 153,000 individuals with water system maintenance, sanitation services, and water trucking. Every day we provide 3.6 million…
Read MoreCOVID-19 Response in Syria
Our efforts around COVID-19 leverage strong collaborative relationships with communities and their leaders where we work to encourage positive, healthy behaviors and support local and national governments to coordinate and roll out locally-led responses. Global Communities is exploring how best to expand our existing humanitarian programming in Syria to respond to COVID-19. Through funding from…
Read MoreEVENT: Agriculture in Syria—Building Resilience amid Conflict
EVENT: Agriculture in Syria—Building Resilience amid Conflict Since the outbreak of civil war in 2011, Syria has encountered severe land degradation due to climate change and protracted violence. As agriculture is one the main drivers of the Syrian economy, communities have been struggling to survive and as many as 6.5 million Syrians have been left…
Read MoreBiogas for Better Access to Energy and Livelihood
Biogas for Better Access to Energy and Livelihood Rural villages in northern Syria are facing severe energy crises due to damaged infrastructure, fuel scarcity, and the poor quality and high price of fuels available. All this leads to a lack of power generation, greatly affecting people’s lives. Recent fuel shortages in Idleb have led to…
Read MoreDurreyeh Neqdeli — Committed to Serving Her New Community
Durreyeh Neqdeli — Committed to Serving Her New Community Young refugee helps bridge the gap between Syrians and Jordanians through community service Durreyeh (on left) is the first Syrian member of the Community Enhancement Team in her small community in Jordan. Durreyeh Neqdeli is only 25 years old, but she has already experienced a lot. Five…
Read MorePublication: Resilience through Humanitarian Assistance: Agriculture in the Syria Conflict
Publication: Resilience through Humanitarian Assistance: Agriculture in the Syria Conflict Global Communities has been responding to the Syrian conflict since 2013. In that time, we have sought to address food insecurity with solutions that can potentially bridge an emergency response with more long-term, post-conflict recovery. Between 2014 and March 2018 we provided agricultural assistance as…
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