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In August 2017, the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) launched an enrolment campaign to encourage Palestine refugee children aged 6-18 from Syria, who have sought refuge in Lebanon, to return to school. The campaign aims to improve enrolment and retention rates in UNRWA schools and vocational centres.

 
The European Union Supports the National Institutions to Mitigate the Impact of the Syrian Refugee Crisis in Turkey

On 24 February, representatives of the EU Delegation to Turkey, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Turkey, and the Directorate General for Migration Management (DGMM), officially launched one of the Facility's first projects: "Supporting the National Institutions to Mitigate the Impact of the Syrian Refugee Crisis". The €40 million project started in September 2016 and will run until August 2019. It is financed by the EU and implemented by UNHCR, with DGMM as its main partner. The project has four main components including protection, education, health, and livelihoods. It aims to strengthen the capacity of public institutions in Turkey to manage the inflow of Syrian refugees, and to increase the economic and social resilience of Syrian refugees and host communities alike.

 
Syrian Children Find a Haven Where They Play, Learn and Cope

In 2016, UNICEF established the Child and Family Support Centre (CFSC) together with its partner, Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM). The centre was founded with the financial support of the European Union Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis. On average it welcomes 2,100 refugee children and parents a month. The centre serves as a “one stop shop” for multi-disciplinary child-centered activities led by professionals as well as social workers. These include psychosocial support, legal counseling for at-risk children, nutritional services and community awareness raising. In the past year, over 18,000 Syrian and other refugees and migrants have accessed the Al Farah’s services, including more than 12,000 children. Al Farah is one of six CFSCs in Turkey. The others are in Istanbul, Ankara, Adana and Izmir.

 
Syrian Children Find a Haven Where They Play, Learn and Cope

In 2016, UNICEF established the Child and Family Support Centre (CFSC) together with its partner, Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants (ASAM). The centre was founded with the financial support of the European Union Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis. On average it welcomes 2,100 refugee children and parents a month. The centre serves as a “one stop shop” for multi-disciplinary child-centered activities led by professionals as well as social workers. These include psychosocial support, legal counseling for at-risk children, nutritional services and community awareness raising. In the past year, over 18,000 Syrian and other refugees and migrants have accessed the Al Farah’s services, including more than 12,000 children. Al Farah is one of six CFSCs in Turkey. The others are in Istanbul, Ankara, Adana and Izmir.

 
How is the EU Facility helping Syrian refugee women in Turkey?

The Facility-funded Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN), a debit card based social assistance scheme, has reached over 1 million beneficiaries. The occasion was marked by a ceremony which took place on 17 October with Commissioner Stylianides in Ankara. The scheme aims to support up to 1.3 million of the most vulnerable refugees to meet their basic needs. The programme, which started at the end of 2016 with initial funding of €348 million, is implemented by the World Food Programme (WFP), the Turkish Red Crescent (TRC) and the Turkish authorities. The ESSN provides monthly cash transfers of around €30 per person per month, plus quarterly top-ups to the most vulnerable refugees. One group of beneficiaries which is befitting from the ESSN are women-headed households.

 
Making Dreams Come True with EU funded Community Centre

The EU has been supporting the Turkish Red Crescent Ankara Community Centre since 2015. The Community Centre helps foreign nationals living in Turkey, especially Syrians. With additional assistance from the EU Facility, the Community Centre - in cooperation with the Danish Red Cross - now provides vocational training courses giving thousands of refugees in Turkey a perspective of future employment. Ayşe, who fled Aleppo 4 years ago, is one of the beneficiaries participating in vocational training courses given at the Community Centre.

 
EU helps Heroic Midwives Save Lives Amid Syria’s Chaos

An estimated 360,000 pregnant women and millions of women and girls of childbearing age are affected by the conflict in Syria. These women and girls require a range of health-care services, from reproductive health information, family planning counselling and antenatal care to safe childbirth services and post-partum care. Since much of this care can be provided by midwives, EU Facility funding allows the UN's Population Fund (UNFPA) to work with health professionals and provide them with training in Gaziantep, Turkey. The training focuses on essential skills, such as new born resuscitation and managing post-partum haemorrhage.