The “Violet” organization launched a project to asphalt roads of the city of Kafr Nabl, rural Idlib, providing short-term employment for the city’s residents.

The project, which began in early August under the slogan “Money for Work,” includes a series of activities and practical projects, most notably asphalting streets in the city of Kafr Nabl and the surrounding villages, in addition to the restoration of roads, schools, parks and public facilities.

Abdulrazzaq Awad, director of the Food Security and Livelihoods Program at the “Violet” organization, told Enab Baladi that the project aims to provide employment opportunities for unemployed youth and provide a source of income for vulnerable families in the region.

He added that the project is based on employing young people in the restoration and paving of roads, which lies in the interest of both parties, the beneficiary who receives a financial return and the community, which benefits from the improvement of public utilities.

According to Abdulrazzaq Awad, the project benefits about 450 people, who are selected according to eligibility and vulnerability criteria. In selecting beneficiaries, the organization often considers reaching the most vulnerable families so that the beneficiaries receive the money as compensation for their work in community projects.

The project, in addition to the city of Kafr Nabl, covers five other villages, including Kafrmos, Kukabeh and Karsaa, and is scheduled to last for three months since its launch in August.

Director of the Livelihoods Program in the “Violet” Organization said that the project was carried out in cooperation with a number of organizations in the region, in order to ensure access to the largest number of beneficiaries geographically, and to prevent the employment of similar beneficiaries under the same project.

Similar Projects

Lately, some civil society organizations have been seeking to launch far-reaching campaigns to provide in-kind assistance to Syrians, focusing on the idea of working for money for a double benefit.

Earlier this year, the Syrian Foundation for Humanitarian Care and Development (Masrrat) launched the “Money for Work” project for women in the city of Ariha, Idlib governorate, targeting widows and women who became their families’ sole breadwinners.

The project included several activities; sewing of pajamas, tailoring of school bags and wool knitting. The number of beneficiaries of each project amounted to approximately 100 women.

In November 2017, a similar project was launched by the “Violet” Organization in the city of Ariha to support projects aiming at cleaning and maintenance of infrastructure in the city. A plan was also put in place to rehabilitate and illuminate the Jabal al-Arba’in road, rehabilitate some points within the city and repair the sewage system.

Local councils usually supervise such projects, while the organizations provide workers with salaries. The Ariha City Council signed a memorandum of understanding with “Violet” Organization to support its service projects, known as “Money for Work”.

The criteria for selecting beneficiaries are urgent need, the family should not have a fixed income, should not have assets and property, and demands that the applicant be able to work, avoiding the employment of two people from the same family to work under the same project, according to the vision of the organization.