Supporting refugees and vulnerable host community members gain access to social services

Context

Türkiye hosts over three million refugees, most of them from Syria.  Despite its efforts, the country still faces the challenge of ensuring that refugees and vulnerable members of host communities have access to social services. The devastating earthquakes of February 2023 and a faltering economy have aggravated the situation. Vulnerable groups, above all single mothers, children and persons with disabilities, have been particularly hard hit.

The political turmoil in Syria in 2024 has had a profound impact on the situation of Syrian refugees, yet most Syrians will remain in Türkiye for a few more years and will continue to rely on support.

Objective

The personal and socio-economic resilience of refugees and other vulnerable groups among Turkish host communities is strengthened.

Approach

The project is improving access to social services by setting up Akran Destek Ağı/ADA Türkiye –The Civil Society Network for Peer Support and Localisation. Experienced NGOs use the network to empower smaller, local initiatives in remote municipalities and thus ensure the provision and quality of social services. The project supplements the mentoring with technical training.

Through the combination of humanitarian aid and structurally anchored social services, the project implements the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus (HDP nexus).

The project’s fields of action are:

• Improving protection as well as access to social services
• Increasing access to non-formal education
• Promoting social cohesion
• Strengthening structures for social services and crisis management

Last update: March 2024