Cash Assistance in Re-emerging Markets V (CARMA V)

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Syria is currently facing one of the world’s most volatile and complex emergencies. The 14-year conflict, compounded by the collapse of the old regime, has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian crisis. The 2024 Syria Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) estimates that 16.7 million people require assistance – the largest number ever since the beginning of the crisis in 2011.

Syria remains one of the countries with the highest number of displaced people globally, with 7.2 million individuals internally displaced. Of the 1.1 million people displaced by the escalation of hostilities at the end of November, approximately 627,000 remain newly displaced – around 75% of them are women and children.

The prolonged conflict has devastated the country’s infrastructure, economy, and social fabric. Daily life in Syria has become even more challenging for many people over the past few months. While some still hope for better times, others are disappointed by the limited changes and the ideological shifts now visible on the streets.

Liquidity has disappeared from the market, paralysing economic activity. Radical factions are enforcing moral codes, minority groups fear for their future, and the new government is still learning how to govern a pluralistic country.

To address the unprecedented level of vulnerability of Syrians, the project aims to increase the protection of vulnerable Syrian families by providing life-saving and life-sustaining assistance through cash transfers to 14’665 Syrians and holistic case management services to 762 Syrians.

Since the economic situation in Syria doesn’t allow families to get out of their situation based on the intervention of this project alone, Caritas Switzerland targets families also with other interventions, in order to bundle efforts.

The project will contribute to the improved ability of vulnerable internally displaced, returnee, refugee and host community households to protect and sustain their lives through a combination of cash and case management services. The case management component is led by Caritas Austria.

By providing cash transfers to the most vulnerable families, beneficiaries will be enabled to address their most essential basic needs, such as food, shelter and medicine. Additional cash support will be granted during the winter months to cater for special winter needs, such as heating. With their basic needs covered, households will be able to prevent the recourse to irreversible negative coping mechanisms, increase their food consumption and reduce their negative coping strategies during the project intervention.

The case management approach addresses the differential needs of families through targeted protection services by trained case workers, for instance to support access to schooling, caring for people with disabilities and gender-based violence survivors. Individual case assessments inform the assistance package based on specific needs and includes in-kind or cash support, for instance to access legal advice or cover other essential services.