Gender Perspectives on Humanitarian Programming in Syria

The conflict in Syria that started in 2011 is now a complex and protracted multi-sided civil war. In 2017, 69% of the Syrian population was estimated to be living in extreme poverty, compared to 34% before the crisis. Such impoverishment is due to large-scale population movements, widespread destruction of agriculture and markets, and the depletion of productive assets and savings, all of which have dramatically limited access to food. Oxfam has been delivering humanitarian aid in Syria since 2013, focusing largely on water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), with some work promoting public health.

Oxfam has assisted an estimated 2.5 million people across 10 of Syria's 14 governorates, in areas held by both the government and the opposition. Deir ez-Zor District in eastern Syria is considered a hard-to-reach area for humanitarian actors. As of August 2018, more than 250,000 people were displaced from or within Deir ez-Zor governorate. Around 15,000 have returned –this figure is expected to increase. However, conditions are still not in place for the safe, dignified and sustainable return of most of these internally displaced people. The area has until very recently been reliant on UN air drops of food, medicine and other supplies. There is a high risk of malnutrition, especially among pregnant and nursing women and their children.

Households with a female main income provider have less access to aid and resources for a number of reasons, including a lack of information and risks associated with women leaving their homes. Additionally, the conflict has given rise to property and land grievances, such as in areas of spontaneous settlement, and where displaced families have settled in the vacated homes of other displaced people. Women’s limited ability to negotiate solutions in the current context can deprive them of their rights to property and long-term security. Through the Emergency Food Security and Vulnerable Livelihoods intervention in Deir ez-Zor, Oxfam is aiming to address the immediate basic needs of the local population, while simultaneously positioning itself in the area as a reliable actor for longer-term work on resilience, including more explicit work on economic and gender justice.