Projects in Syria

Neirab Rehabilitation Project

The Neirab Rehabilitation Project (NRP) was launched in 2002 to comprehensively repair and remodel Neirab camp in Aleppo, the most densely populated camp in Syria with the highest levels of poverty and unemployment.

The project has two phases:

1. Building 300 housing units in the nearby camp of Ein El-Tal for 300 families (1,500 refugees) living in Neirab.
2. Building and repairing units in the 'barracks’ area of Neirab camp itself, including the development of areas available for community and commercial use.

Phase one was completed in September 2009 and phase two will be complete in 2013.

Iraqi-Palestinian refugees

Since August 2008, UNRWA has provided dental services, basic education and emergency cash assistance to Palestine refugees from Iraq residing in the Al-Hol camp in far eastern Syria and the border camp of Al-Tanf, located in the “no-man’s” land between Syria and Iraq.

The refugees are in a precarious situation because they cannot enter Syria or return to Iraq. Many refugees have been living in these camps since arriving in 2006.

Employment and vocational training

With funds from the European Union, UNRWA is implementing a four-year project to increase employability of Palestine refugees in Syria through vocational education, and career guidance and placement.

The EUR 2.5 million project works with young people to enhance their employment prospects. It offers training and ongoing support in developing and implementing their small business ideas.

The project also offers employment guidance services in five camps, providing employment counselling and acting as a link between job-seekers and local employers.

Since the start of the project in 2006, UNRWA has improved the capacity of the Damascus Training Centre to provide a modern learning environment through the construction of a girls’ dormitory and the establishment of two, new professionally oriented courses in mechatronics and graphic design.

Children's music centres

In cooperation with the Directorate of Arab Music Institutes and Music In Me, a Netherlands-based NGO, the Children’s Music Project is an innovative approach to enhancing children’s cultural education and to support their personal development.

The three-year programme involves comprehensive instruction in four classical instruments including lute (oud), flute (nai), percussion (iqaa), and zither (qanoun).

The first Children's Music Centre opened in 2004 at Yarmouk in Damascus and five other centres opened in 2008 and 2009 in Khan Dunoun, Neirab, Ein El-Tal, Homs and Latakia camps. Graduates regularly perform at high-profile events locally and internationally.

Expansion of the Sewing Production Unit

The Sewing Production Unit at the Women's Programme Centre in Husseinieh, Damascus, offers an innovative approach to addressing the issue of poverty among refugee women.

The centre equips women with the skills to produce high-quality textiles, expanding their freedom to set up their own small business or seek employment within the broader textile industry.

In 2008 the project moved to new premises in order to cope with the level of demand from the community. This was made possible by a generous donation from Bank Audi.