Over a year after the February 6 earthquake, the Idlib governorate still suffers from its catastrophic effects, especially in meeting the housing needs of those affected. The quake left 2,114 dead in Idlib and damaged 18,000 homes partially or entirely, according to official figures released by the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) after the damage assessment committees concluded their work.

The SSG, along with local and international NGOs, launched multiple projects to assist in housing the earthquake victims in Idlib. However, these entities faced real difficulties in meeting the significant housing needs of the affected homeowners, as well as approximately 25,000 Syrian refugees who returned from Turkey. Due to the vast devastation in southern Turkey and the rise of anti-refugee rhetoric in the aftermath of the earthquake, many Syrians returned to northern Syria. Idlib was already experiencing a housing crisis before the earthquake, with around 2.8 million people displaced by the conflict.

Official efforts by the SSG

The SSG created the Earthquake Victims Directorate on February 12, 2023, under its Ministry of Development and Humanitarian Affairs, defining its tasks as enumerating those affected, especially orphans and those in need of social care, monitoring their affairs, assessing their needs, and seeking to secure them, the directorate’s leader, Ammar Najjar, told The Syria Report. Mr Najjar estimated that the support provided by international donors did not exceed 12 percent of the needs of those affected.

Last year, the Earthquake Victims Directorate managed to supervise the housing of 5,400 families affected by the earthquake in temporary residential complexes in Al-Kamouna camps and Jabal Killi areas south of Sarmada City and Mashhad Ruhin north of Dana City. These families were previously living in 114 shelter centres in Idlib after their homes were either completely or partially damaged.

These temporary residential complexes were not originally intended for earthquake victims but were established by non-governmental organisations, most of which are Syrian or Turkish, to house IDPs camp residents in northern Syria. Most of these complexes were built on public lands, each comprising dozens of small residential units less than 50 square metres, some of which have two storeys. The Directorate for Earthquake Victims, in coordination with the NGOs, prioritised housing earthquake victims in these complexes, allowing residents to benefit from their units without owning them.

Non-Governmental Organisations

The Syrian Civil Defence, known as the White Helmets, was among the most responsive non-governmental actors to the earthquake disaster. According to the Civil Defence’s media and communication office, the organisation reopened roads spanning 800 kilometres across 335 population gatherings and 119 camps after clearing the debris. The institution also removed 30,000 cubic metres of damaged roofs and walls likely to collapse across 125 population centres and cleared more than 442,000 cubic metres of rubble across 162 residential complexes.

The White Helmets also rehabilitated 30 kilometres of roads in operational alliance with other NGOs, such as the Syrian American Medical Society and the Syrian Forum. They rehabilitated 130 kilometres of water networks and seven kilometres of sewage systems.

In September 2023, the Directorate for Earthquake Victims supervised the housing of 135 earthquake orphans in the Khair Al-Tijar residential solidarity project established near Sarmada. The project was a collaboration between the Directorate, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Idlib, and the Bab Al-Hawa Crossing. It is a community initiative to collect donations to build or purchase homes for those affected by the earthquake. According to The Syria Report’s local correspondent, residents will be granted the right to dispose of their homes after all legal procedures are completed.

The Directorate for Earthquake Victims also oversaw the housing of 30 families in the Ajyal Residential Complex north of Sarmada city. An NGO initiated the project’s construction, dedicating it to those affected by the earthquake.

On the earthquake’s first anniversary, a partial opening of the Hilal Melhem project, implemented by the Melhem Volunteer Team in the city of Harem, took place after completing 80 percent of the construction work. The work began last July on the project, which consists of 25 two-storey buildings housing 352 apartments and 16 commercial shops, in addition to service facilities such as a mosque, a health centre, and a school, covering a total area of half a hectare, as stated by the project official, Mohammed Al-Sheikh, to The Syria Report. The land is privately owned. The Melhem Team purchased it from its owner for the project, and residents will only be given the right to use it.

The Hilal Melhem project in Harem is one of the long-term response efforts by the Melhem Volunteer Team as part of the Capable Campaign, which has managed to raise donations of around USD 13 million to house approximately 2,000 families affected by the earthquake. The estimated cost of the Hilal Melhem project is about USD 2 million, with work proceeding in parallel on two other projects in Armanaz and Azaz.