Ref. Ares(2018)4147635 - 07/08/2018
ANNEX 1
ECHO E-SINGLE FORM
Section 1.4 Area of intervention
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[MR2] Quneitra, Dar’a, As-Sweida governorates were added to the plan. Al-Hasakeh was removed
due to access constraints.
Section 1.3 – Narrative summary
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[MR2] During the planning phase, WFP estimated to procure 17,500 mt of milk over the course of
the action, with an annual requirement of almost 9,000 mt. However, the price of milk was lower
than initially anticipated, which resulted in a revised projection of a total of almost 23,000 mt of
milk to be procured over the course of the action. In addition, significant bureaucratic and logistics
hurdles meant that WFP could only distribute approximately 50 percent of the planned milk
quantities during the 2016-17 school year, leaving a greater quantity to be distributed over the next
school year. A total of 4,830 mt of milk have already been procured and distributed during the
2016-17 academic year, leaving approximately 18,000 mt of milk to be distributed during the 2017-
18 academic year. The quantities for next school year are estimated based on current rates, and can
undergo some modifications subject to the results of the next tenders.
Delays in the implementation, combined with the overall increase of milk quantities to be procured
and distributed under this action, prompted WFP to adjust its distribution plans for the 2017-18
school year and increase the number of governorates in order to be able to absorb the additional
milk supplies. Accordingly, during the 2017-18 school year WFP will double the milk ration
provided to school children during school days, targeting 500,000 children across ten of the 14
Syrian governorates. In addition, it is anticipated that part of the milk procured under this action
will be reallocated to General Food Assistance when required by the operational conditions. During
the 2016-17 school year, 482 mt of milk were reallocated to GFA, reaching approximately 167,000
children. During the 2017-18 school year, WFP will maintain a plan to distribute the 18,000 mt of
milk to schools through the school meals programme. However, due to potential access constraints
and bottlenecks in the supply chain, WFP will maintain a contingency plan to reallocate part of the
plan milk quantities to the General Food Assistance (GFA) programme when required by the
operational conditions. In the 2017-18 school year, the planned amount of milk to be reallocated to
GFA could be around 9,000 mt. Please see the section 3.1.4 ‘Response Analysis’ for additional
details.
Section 3.1.2 - Assessment methodology
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Data collection was carried out between April and early May 2015 by trained enumerators,
comprising of representatives of the Departments of Education and the CBS, using detailed
structured survey questionnaires. The survey covered 59 schools in 17 subdistricts in 11
governorates. As part of a dedicated working group, WFP supported the development and review of
the questionnaires and assessment forms. Data analysis was finalized in September 2015, and the
final document is currently being finalized.
Programme monitoring
WFP conducts regular programme monitoring in assisted locations to verify the implementation of
WFP activities, measure the impact of the assistance provided and gather data on households’ food
security.
WFP conducts direct-monitoring of its activities where the security situation permits to ensure that
assistance reaches beneficiaries through dedicated monitoring teams, consisting of nineteen staff
members based in five offices across Syria. In highly insecure areas monitoring is conducted by
Project Facilitators from Third Party Monitoring companies that are contracted and trained to
conduct such monitoring exercise both inside Syria and cross borders.
Monitoring activities are implemented through both on-site and post-distribution visits using
systematic data collection tools for the selected indicators to inform on progress and achievement
of results, through process, output and outcome monitoring. This enables WFP to rely on regular
and timely updates on the food security situation in Syria, which, in turn, inform programmatic
choices and enables evidence-based implementation adjustments. In particular, outcome
monitoring, performed using the the Post Distribution Monitoring tool administered to randomly
selected households two weeks after food distribution, enables WFP to keep track of food security
indicators including food consumption levels, dietary diversity and coping strategies applied by
beneficiaries. In addition, data collected using tool include beneficiary perceptions regarding
crosscutting indicators such as gender and decision making on utilization of food assistance.
Market Assessments
Due to the fact that most of Syrians depend on market purchase as primary source of their food
requirements, WFP Syria established a market monitoring system in October 2014 and have been
producing and disseminating a market watch report on a monthly basis. The main purpose of the
market watch is to monitor market conditions, track changes on prices of essential commodities
and investigate issues affecting markets and thereby assess the impact on food security conditions
of the population in Syria.
The market monitoring system uses the standard market analysis tools and methods developed by
WFP HQ VAM. It uses both primary and secondary data. Primary data is collected from 27 major
market across the country. The secondary information is gathered from various sources that
include CBS and different web-based resources including FAO.
Results of the market monitoring are published on the monthly market watch report. The content
of the report includes Inflation and Consumer Price Index (CPI), wholesale prices of essential
commodities including wheat and wheat flour, availability/supply situation, retail prices of wheat
and wheat flour, terms of trade between labour and wheat flour as well as between livestock and
wheat flour, international food market prices and summary of trends of prices. The monthly market
monitoring/watch reports can be found at http://www.wfp.org/content/Syria-monthly-market-
watch-2015
3.1.3 Problem, needs and risk analysis
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[MR 2] Data collected through WFP post-distribution monitoring in 2017confirm these data,
indicating that 36 percent of the surveyed households had either low or medium dietary diversity.
Among those, the consumption of dairy products is limited. Almost two thirds of the households
with low dietary diversity do not consume dairy products at all, while the remaining consume them
once or twice a week. Overall, WFP programme monitoring findings confirm the low consumption
of dairy products, including milk, among WFP assisted beneficiaries, with the majority of
interviewed households consuming these food items less than three days per week. [END]
Human development gains have also witnessed a dramatic reversal, as infrastructural damage and
economic recession have left healthcare facilities, schools and other essential services unable to
meet the population's needs. The 2014 Human Development Index ranks Syria at 118, a
considerable fall from 2005 in which the country held the rank of 106. A particularly notable
consequence has been a dramatic degradation of the social service infrastructure, with a specific
decline in educational services. According to the 2015 Humanitarian Needs Overview, the United
Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reports an acute paucity of functioning learning spaces, citing
more than 4,000 schools across the country as either damaged, destroyed, used as IDP shelters or
occupied by various parties to the conflict. Reportedly, of 22,000 schools pre-crisis, only 17,480
schools remain functional, and these facilities operate on multiple shifts to accommodate the
significant need for learning space.
This lack of infrastructure burdens an already weakened education system, and contributes to
additional barriers to child education. When the conflict started, Syria had a net enrolment ratio of
99 percent. According to preliminary results of the “Syria Education Sector Analysis 2014-2015”,
and data from the Education Management Information System (EMIS), aggregate enrolment and
attendance rates have sharply declined since the onset of the crisis. At the beginning of the 2014-
2015 school year, 3.7 million children were enrolled in primary schools representing a 33 percent
decrease in enrolment from pre-crisis rates; the most significant negative trends have occurred in
Rural Damascus, Damascus, Aleppo, Dar’a, Quneitra and Homs. Currently, approximately 2 million
children are not attending school in stark contrast to 0.9 million in the first year of the conflict. .
Over two million children inside Syria are either out of school or attending classes irregularly. This
number had peaked to 2.8 million in 2012, and decreased subsequently due to the outflow of
migrants from the country. Overall, attendance rates have also shown downward trends over the
past five years, with the worst cases showing drops by 70 percent. Particularly, in hard-to-reach
areas children are most at risk of dropping out of the formal education system, with attendance
rates registering rates well below the national average.
3.1.4 Response analysis
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Moreover, the school meals programme will be implemented in three additional governorates, As-
Sweida, Quneitra and Dar’a, not included in the initial plan, while Al-Hasakeh governorate was
removed from the plan due to the protracted access restrictions which hindered the
implementation of the school meals programme in the past school year. WFP will evaluate the
possibility of resuming the school meals programme in AL Hasakeh governorate, subject to all
necessary conditions being in place.
A greater geographical coverage would also allow for greater planning flexibility and contribute to
mitigate potential localized access disruptions. In addition, subject to supplies and data availability,
coordination with Sector partners and relevant authorities and obtaining necessary approvals, WFP
will explore the possibility to include secondary schools, where possible, among the targeted
institutions.
While the focus of the action will remain on Education, WFP will maintain the option to reallocate
part of the milk quantities to the GFA programme when the operational conditions require. Should
delays in the receipt and/or delivery of the milk to schools require a swift distribution of milk
quantities in a limited timeframe (subject to the shelf life), WFP will distribute the concerned
quantities as part of the general food assistance, along with the family monthly food rations, when
operational conditions require. The tonnage allocated to GFA will not exceed the quantities
distributed in schools during the action period. If required, around 9,000 mt of milk procured under
this action could be distributed under the GFA programme, reaching up to 600,000 children over a
maximum of three monthly cycles.
Beneficiaries outreach and awareness raising efforts will be in place to avoid a negative impact of
milk provision on breastfeeding practices. Please see Section 3.2.4 ‘Beneficiaries’ for further details.
The milk distributed in schools will be distributed to children during school days and consumed on
site, therefore doubling the ration size is not expected to have a negative impact on the local
economy. As for the monthly milk rations to be distributed as part of the GFA programme (around
9,000 mt), quantities represent a minimal fraction of the estimated national requirements,
therefore the injection is unlikely to create distortions in the local economy.
3.2.4 Beneficiaries: Selection criteria
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[MR] As outlined in Annex VII, the milk may on an exceptional basis also be reallocated to the
emergency food assistance programme, when required by operational conditions. The targeted
beneficiaries will be children aged 5-12 years in families that are currently assisted under the
emergency food assistance programme. Awareness raising labels will be placed on the packed milk
cartons to avoid any misuse of the commodity.
[MR2] WFP will sensitize its cooperating partners regarding any upcoming distributions of milk
under the GFA programme to ensure that beneficiaries are duly informed about the milk
distribution and are aware that the milk is only intended for children aged 5-12 years, to avoid he
misuse of the product and unintended negative effects. Special briefing sessions for partners will be
organized for this purpose. In addition to placing awareness raising labels on the milk cartons to
avoid the misuse of the product, additional communication and sensitization materials will be
produced. These include banners and posters at distribution sites as well as on-the-spot awareness
sessions for beneficiaries. Partners will be asked to assign dedicated staff at distribution sites to
ensure that the message is effectively delivered.
4.6 - Contingency measures (plan B/mitigating actions to be taken if risks and assumptions
materialised)
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5.
Unstable, irregular and insufficient funding. Ensuring an adequate level of funding in a
predictable and consistent manner remains a challenge in the face of multiple global crises
and over-stretched donor resources. WFP will continue to broaden its donor base to include
non-traditional donors. Improved targeting will inform WFP prioritization and contingency
plans, should it prove necessary to scale back assistance.
6.
Manipulation of aid for political, military or financial gain. In order to protect the
humanitarian space and uphold humanitarian principles, WFP continues to adopt a conflict-
sensitive approach to its humanitarian assistance. WFP’s continued presence in Syria
obliges it to work with partners to deliver food assistance to Syrians in need in all parts of
the country. Within the framework of UNSC resolutions 2139, 2165, 2191 and 2258 WFP
has been increasing cross-border and cross-line deliveries to provide food assistance in
hard to reach areas. Monitoring activities have been strengthened to detect aid diversions
and track the unintended impact of WFP assistance on the conflict. WFP will continue to
seek ways to complement peace building efforts.
7.
Constraints to humanitarian access. WFP continues to support the efforts of the United
Nations Country Team (UNCT) to advocate for unimpeded access to provide humanitarian
assistance in all areas of greatest needs. Special measures are being taken to ensure the safe
passage of humanitarian convoys, both cross-line and cross-border. To the extent possible,
WFP verifies food security information through beneficiary contact monitoring at
distribution sites, tracking food prices, and triangulation of data from different sources.
Subject to security and other conditions, WFP is continually seeking to extend the reach of
these activities.
8.
Limited capacity of Cooperating Partners. Efforts will continue to be made to strengthen
capacities of local implementing partners, including through the provision of equipment
and specific trainings as necessary.
9.
Looting or misappropriation of WFP food. WFP applies the highest standards of security to
its operations and closely monitors the situation on ground to assess risk levels. Through its
partners, and strategic field presence in Aleppo, Homs, Tartous, Lattakia and Qamishly, WFP
has established a solid reputation and will continue to engage with local authorities and
community leaders to ensure safe passage of humanitarian assistance. At the same time,
WFP has expanded its contracted transporters, ensuring the best possible access to,
knowledge of, and acceptance in target locations. In hotspot areas, inter-agency convoys
will continue to be efficiently used. Alternative means of delivery, including deliveries from
Turkey and other alternative overland corridors and packaging outside of Syria, allows WFP
to circumnavigate some of the most high-risk areas. When deliveries reach an area subject
to particular security concerns, WFP urges partners to expedite the distribution of the
supplies, and avoid storing stocks in insecure areas to minimise the risk of
misappropriation of WFP items in the event of shifts in control patterns. In addition,
following instances of aid misappropriation, WFP suspended all activities in ISIL controlled
areas, as partners are unable to operate independently and neutrally in these areas.
10.
Negative media portrayal of WFP and its cooperating partners: In all public communications,
WFP will continue to highlight its neutral and independent humanitarian mandate, and that
of its cooperating partners. Outreach efforts will continue to increase awareness of WFP’s
mandate.