Q4 Interim Report 15 October 2014 – 15 January 2015

The project “Conditional Cash Project for Vulnerable Syrian and Jordanian Children in Irbid,

Jordan” is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and implemented by

Islamic Relief Jordan (IRJ). It aims to fill gaps in the Shelter and Education sectors and contribute to

the wellbeing of Syrian and Jordanian girls and boys. The idea of the project is to ensure children’s

right to education and protection, and access to shelter as a right for refugees. The project also

responds to DFID’s ‘No Lost Generation’ focus that emphasizes the importance of education to

protect Syrian children and restore a sense of normalcy to their lives.

This project assists out of camp Syrian refugees and host community members in north Jordan. Over

the two years of this project, 3,9471 out of school girls and boys living in Irbid governorate will be

targeted for enrolment in formal and/or informal education.

In Q1, out of school children in the target area were identified through making door-to-door

assessment visits and referred to the educational centers of the implementing partner – Islamic

Centre Charitable Society (ICCS). Syrian refugee workers were appointed to be involved in the

assessment to have greater influence to convince families of the importance of education and

children’s rights. In Q2 the focus was to ensure the quality and effectiveness of the systems and

services being offered. Q3 concentrated on improving the quality of implementation, the role of the

implementing partner, payment process and the school attendance levels of both Syrian and

Jordanian children. In Q4, a new centre was opened, a new activity began to assist students with

transportation from home to the education centres, and plans for Year Two were revised. By the end

of Q4 (mid way through the two year project) 2,631 children had rejoined education as a result of

this project and their families are receiving financial support to contribute to their monthly rental

costs. 1,828 Syrian refugee children are attending informal education sessions (facilitated by ICCS),

and 803 Jordanian children are back in formal education (in Jordanian public schools).

Delays in the early part of the project resulted in a significant underspend of actual expenditure

compared to the forecast (see ‘Challenges’). A revised activity plan was submitted to DFID and

discussions have been ongoing between IRJ and DFID teams in Amman to finalise the new additions

to the project. Changes to the original proposed project now include:

Increase in total number of children to be assisted during the first year of the project (from

2,350 to 2,631), and total increase from 3,525 to 3,947

Introduction of transportation assistance for children who live away from the centres and

who struggle to cover the costs of transport to and from school

Support ICCS to improve the quality of the WASH facilities in their centres as part of

collaborative assistance with other NGOs/UNICEF

Change in payment methodology from money exchange centre to E-card system

1 Revised total (increased from 3,525)

In addition, two further proposed activity areas are still under discussion with DFID:

Psychosocial support for children

Child Protection activities to support girls and boys receiving informal education, strengthen

staff capacity (IRJ and ICCS) on working with vulnerable children, and conduct child

protection awareness sessions for children and their parents/caregivers

In November 2014, a delegation from DFID, headed by

Ms. Deirdre Watson the Senior Education Advisor –

Syrian Crisis Unit, visited the centres in which the

education programme is being implemented by IRJ.

Accompanied by members of IRJ, Ms. Watson was

briefed on the services provided to beneficiaries of the

project by ICCS managers who talked about the future

plans, including increasing the number of students; how

to improve the mechanism of education and putting

more focus on Child Protection issues and community

integration.

In January 2015, two members of DFID Jordan team (Mr.

Barry Armstrong – Regional Humanitarian Advisor, and

Ms. Rana Nassar – Humanitarian Programme) visited IRJ.

The DFID team discussed various aspects of the project

with Programmes and Finance staff in the presence of

Head of Region in Islamic Relief Worldwide.

Impact

To contribute to poverty reduction, livelihood improvement, and increased access to education for

Syrian refugees in Jordan. The project will contribute to filling a gap in the Shelter and Education

sectors by ensuring Syrian vulnerable families have access to shelter and contribute to promoting

education awareness for children of school age (7 – 16 years) through referring them to education

services (formal, non-formal and informal).

Outcome 3,947 children (70% Syrian and 30% Jordanian) children who are out of school have secured access to appropriate formal, non-formal or informal education to learn and develop

Indicator Baseline Target –

Milestone (end Year 1)

Actual (Q1 – Q3)

Actual (Q1 - Q4)

# of school-aged children who attend formal/informal or non-formal education 0 2,631

2,350 total 1,650 Syrian,

700 Jordanian

2,631 total 1,828 Syrian,

803 Jordanian

Figure 1: DFID’s Senior Education Advisor visiting ICCS education center in Kourah – IRJ, November 2014

Comment

By the end of Q4, 2,631 school-aged children (1,336 girls (51%), 1,295 boys (49%)) are now attending

education as a result of this project. Of these children, 1,828 are Syrian (70%) and 803 are Jordanian

(30%) which was the proposed percentage of Syrian and Jordanian beneficiaries. During Q4 reporting

period, a further 281 children (178 Syrian, 103 Jordanian) were assisted by the project following the

increase in the target number proposed in revised activity plan. This enabled the project to attain the

revised target figure for the end of Year One of 2,631 children.

Attendance rates are higher among Jordanian children (85%) than Syrian children (70%), although rates

for Syrian students have improved since the introduction of transportation assistance during Q4

(increased from 55% to 70%).

Attendance rates for Syrian children

Before using transportation 55%

After using transportation 70%

Output 1.1 Referral mechanism is built with ICCS and increased number of children referred to various types of education

Indicator Baseline Target –

Milestone (end Year 1)

Actual (Q1 – Q3)

Actual (Q1 - Q4)

Signed agreement is made between IRJ and ICCS - - Completed Completed

Signed agreement is made between IRJ and Save the Children

- - Ongoing Ongoing

Comment

An agreement was developed and signed in March 2014 stating that ICCS would implement the project in

four centres in Irbid; at the end of 2014 IRJ and ICCS reviewed the agreement and signed for Year Two.

The agreement with Save the Children remains under discussion between IRJ and DFID. The basic

responsibility for Save the Children will be to refer children in informal education classes who are ready

to rejoin formal education. Save the Children is the organization authorized to process such referrals in

Jordan. Following the referral into Jordanian public schools, Save the Children will monitor the children’s

attendance; IRJ requires the attendance sheets from the public schools in order to make the payment to

the families of referred children. Currently, IRJ staff monitor the (Jordanian) children’s attendance with

Ministry of Education (MOE); this will increase when (Syrian) children will be referred from informal to

formal education through this project. Save the Children have the human resources to do this task and

have an existing agreement with MOE. The scope of the potential role of Save the Children in the project

is currently still under discussion with DFID Amman team (see ‘Next steps’).

0%

50%

100% 70%

85%

Attendance Rates

Syrian children Jordanian children

Output 1.2 Families are assessed through door-to-door visits

Indicator Baseline Target –

Milestone (end Year 1)

Actual (Q1 - Q3)

Actual (Q1 - Q4)

# of families assessed through door-to-door visits 0 2,350

1,740 total 1,380 Syrian,

360 Jordanian

2,040 total 1,676 Syrian,

364 Jordanian

Comment

Door-to-door visits were conducted from the beginning of the project to identify children not in school.

The project has four dedicated social workers who conduct assessments in the target areas with visits

planned weekly to ensure coverage for all the targeted areas and sub areas. During Q1 to Q3, 1,740

families were visited and 2,727 Syrian and 803 Jordanian out of school children were identified. During

Q4 reporting period, a further 300 families were visited giving a total of 1,676 Syrian families and 364

Jordanian families who were assessed during the first year of the project (2,040 total).

For children who are now back in education the numbers are as listed below:

3,298 Syrian out of school children have been identified and of these 1,828 children have fully

completed the registration process and are now back in education

803 Jordanian out of school children have been identified with 803 of these now benefitting

from formal education

Table 1: Number of Syrian children (disaggregated by sex) who have been visited, identified and are now benefitting from the project in the four localities of Kourah, Irbid, Ramtha and Sarih)

Center Visited

Families

Number of school age

children Boys Girls Benefited Families

Benefited Children Girls Boys Total

Kourah 572 1,201 511 690 226 472 240 232 472

Irbid 549 1,042 494 548 366 767 385 382 767

Ramtha 389 684 408 276 241 482 216 266 482

Sarih 166 371 187 184 62 107 51 56 107

Total 1,676 3,298 1,600 1,698 895 1,828 892 936 1,828

Table 2: Number of Jordanian children (disaggregated by sex) who are benefitting from the project

Center Visited Families Benefited Children Girls Boys Total

Kourah 0 0 0 0 0

Irbid 300 700 401 299 700

Ramtha 64 103 43 60 103

Sarih 0 0 0 0 0

Total 364 803 444 359 803

For the Jordanian beneficiaries, the project attained the target figure for the end of Year One supporting

children to return to schools in Irbid and Ramtha. In Year Two, children from Kourah and Sarih will also

have the opportunity to be supported to return to school in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

Output 1.3 2,763 children are referred to formal, informal or non-formal education by ICCS and Save the Children

Indicator Baseline Target –

Milestone (end Year 1)

Actual (Q1 – Q3)

Actual (Q1 - Q4)

# of children with access to formal, informal or non-formal education 0 2,631

2,350 total 1,650 Syrian,

700 Jordanian

2,631 total 1828 Syrian,

803 Jordanian

Comment IRJ worked on referring children to ICCS in four geographical areas: Kourah, Irbid, Ramtha and Sarih

1828 Syrian children are attending informal education session offered by ICCS

803 Jordanian children are enrolled in formal education (12 schools in Irbid, 3 schools in Ramtha)

The Q4 beneficiary data shows that the revised target for Year One was reached. 2,631 vulnerable

children (1,828 Syrian, 803 Jordanian) are now back in education as a result of this project (original Year

One target: 2,350, revised target: 2,631).

A further public school in Irbid (Alhamma Al Ordonya School) was added in Q4 with 41 Jordanian girls

and 62 boys retuning to education there.

Table 3: Number of Jordanian children (disaggregated by sex) now back in formal education

School Location Girls Boys Total

Samakh School Irbid 44 - 44

Yarmouk School Irbid 76 - 77

Nusseibeh Almazinah School Irbid 58 - 88

Raba Aldoea School Irbid 53 - 85

Edon High School Irbid 55 - 88

Safiah Secondary School Irbid 56 - 87

Edon Elementary Boys School Irbid - 45 48

Shahid Azmi Mufti Camp School Irbid - 55 88

Hakma School Irbid - 34 54

Thaora alarbea School Irbid - 75 78

UNRWA / Irbid Camp School Irbid 18 28 47

Aamrawh School Ramtha 43 - 45

Mohealden Secondary School Ramtha - 32 53

Turrah Secondary School Ramtha - 28 38

Alhamma Al Ordonya School Irbid 41 62 103

Total

444 359 803

Output 1.4 Payment for children from Syrian families and children from Jordanian families is made towards their house rent for Syrian refugees and other bills (such as electricity/water/food) for Jordanian families

Indicator Baseline Target –

Milestone (end Year 1)

Actual (Q1 – Q3)

Actual (Q1 - Q4)

# of families receiving payment 0 2,350*

1,178 total 818 Syrian,

360 Jordanian

1,259 total 895 Syrian,

364 Jordanian

Comment

During the first year of the project, families of 1,259 Syrian and Jordanian children receiving education

from the project received payments (some families have more than one child in the project). A monthly

payment of 30JD is given for each child attending education.

895 Syrian families (1,828 children) receiving education from the project, have received payments (the

payment is made to the Jordanian landlord as contribution to the tenants’ monthly rental costs) (77

additional Syrian refugee children in Q4).

364 Jordanian families (803 children) receiving education from the project, have received payments

(approximately 30% live in rented properties and use the cash assistance to go towards their rental

payments, while the remaining 70% live in properties they own so use the support to meet other living

costs such as utility bills) (4 additional Jordanian children in Q4).

* NB: the Year One milestone assumed payment on the basis of one child per family, but the project has found that in many cases more than one child per family is eligible for assistance through this project (average 2.09 children per family). Therefore, the number of families receiving payment is lower than the milestone. This average figure has been used to calculate the suggested revisions to the Year Two milestones.

Opened fourth center (Sarih) As reported in Q2, the use of the center at

Showneh al Shmalyeh became untenable

following a relocation campaign conducted by the

Government of Jordan to move Syrian refugees to

other areas. This resulted in a very limited number

of out of school children in that area meaning it

was no longer effective to continue the project in

that location. IRJ staff conducted assessment visits

to several alternative locations, and decided that

ICCS’s centre in Sarih would offer an appropriate expansion for the project. In November 2014 the

project started informal education classes for out of school Syrian refugee children living in the

surrounding area; so far 107 children are attending Sarih centre and the number will increase in Year

Two of the project.

Figure 2: Boys studying in a class at the new Sarih Centre

Transport for children to and from school

Feedback from parents during the Stakeholders’

Workshop in August 2014 indicated that the cost of

transport to and from school was a prohibitive

factor affecting their children’s attendance and

engagement in the project. Following discussions

with DFID it was agreed to introduce free

transportation assistance for the students in the

project, an additional activity to be managed by

ICCS who will be compensated with project funds.

This support began during Q4 for Syrian children in

the four centres and has already resulted in significantly higher attendance rates.

Engagement with beneficiaries Following the successful Stakeholder’s Workshop in

August 2014, IRJ has continued its efforts to engage

with beneficiaries to seek ongoing feedback on the

project. In Q4, four focus group discussions (FGDs)

were held in Ramtha, Kourah and Irbid with Syrian

and Jordanian parents of the children in the project

as well as the Jordanian landlords; there were 47

participants in total (27 men, 20 women). The FGDs

sought to consider the constraints and challenges of

the project including disbursement of funds to beneficiaries, and potential ways forward. The

majority of the participants reported that the new E-card payment system will be much easier for

them and ease the problems previously encountered. All parents who participated emphasized that

the transportation assistance solved a significant burden for them and encouraged them to send

their children to the ICCS centres, especially for girls as parents worry about them travelling alone.

No other challenges emerged during the discussions.

Issuing payments

A considerable challenge encountered during Year One was the transfer of cash-for-rent funds to

Jordanian landlords on behalf of their Syrian refugee tenants. The use of a money transfer office to

receive the monthly cash payment, while a tight system, was problematic, particularly for families

with just one child in the project (entitled to 30 JOD per month) whose landlords were reluctant to

go to collect this relatively small amount. This delayed the disbursement of funds to beneficiaries

and was also not popular with the beneficiaries. Following discussions with stakeholders in August

2014, it was decided to introduce payment by cheque instead. This method was more effective in

distributing funds to beneficiaries, but proved inefficient in the amount of staff time required for

Figure 3: Children using transportation service in Irbid

Figure 4: Islamic Relief staff facilitated focus group in Ramtha

processing so many cheques. After further investigations and discussions with banks and alternative

solutions, IRJ decided to set up an E-card system (MasterCard) similar to the one employed by WFP

for its food assistance programme for Syrian refugees in Jordan. Benefits for the project include:

More efficient payment methodology for IRJ Finance unit, less paperwork, high level of

control

Easier for beneficiaries, as the distribution will be once only and future monthly payments

will be automatically uploaded to the cards

Decrease the transportation cost for beneficiaries to come to collect the payments

Ensure payment on time

An agreement with the bank has been signed and planning is ongoing to prepare the E-cards for

distribution in Q5 (March 2015). Jordanian landlords will be given the E-card to receive the monthly

rental payments on behalf of the Syrian tenants to ensure the conditional aspect of the cash

assistance (cash for shelter), and Jordanian families with children in the project will also receive their

cash assistance in this way.

Budget under-spend

As noted, there was an under-spend during the first stages of the project, particularly in Q1 that

resulted in a total spend of 620,525 GBP for Year One (62% of the forecast for the period). This was

due to a combination of factors including delays in receiving Ministry approvals to implement the

project, complications in making payments to beneficiaries, and difficulties to identify potential

appropriate Jordanian beneficiaries. These issues have been addressed and in Q3 a revised activity

plan was proposed that set out how to utilise this under-spend amount effectively. Some of the

activities in that plan have already begun (e.g. increased beneficiary target and transportation

assistance) and some will start in Q5 (e.g. WASH improvements). However, as noted in this report,

discussions between IRJ and DFID have not yet been fully completed on the proposed Child

Protection and PSS interventions. The revised budget was designed on the basis that the new

activities would start in October 2014, therefore a further revision of the expenditure plan will be

required once activity revisions have been approved by DFID. At the start of Year Two, 1,379,475

GBP remains.

Educational centres WASH improvements

In the next reporting period, IRJ and ICCS will work together to rehabilitate existing WASH facilities at

ICCS centres. With this project already bringing over 1,800 additional children to use the ICCS centres,

and more to come, the extra demand on the existing WASH facilities has created the need for some

rehabilitation work. This does not represent a specific WASH outcome to the project, but serves to

ensure that the project beneficiaries have access to adequate and appropriate WASH facilities while

attending school.

Finalise discussions about Psychosocial Support and Child Protection activities

Discussions between IRJ and DFID took place during the reporting period regarding working with

Save the Children to introduce Psychosocial Support (PSS) and Child Protection activities into the

project. Save the Children will work with IRJ to make a detailed child protection assessment related

to the beneficiaries of the project, and develop an appropriate programme of child protection

training and support for ICCS and IRJ staff, awareness sessions for children and their

parents/caregivers, and general child protection support for those involved with the project. The

intervention would also define a minimum package of basic PSS activities and provide indicators for

monitoring and evaluating PSS. To the degree that is feasible, Save the Children will provide

assistance, including follow up or referral for any beneficiaries who cannot be adequately assisted

through the proposed intervention. IRJ aims to finalise discussions on this during Q5 and begin

activities as appropriate.

Referrals of Syrian children to formal education

Syrian refugee children who are performing well in informal education classes provided through this

project will be supported to return to formal education. This process will start in Q5 after the start of

the second semester of 2015 (February 2015) facilitated by Save the Children and MoE.

Continue to expand beneficiary intake

With the agreed increase in beneficiary numbers for the project, Q5 will begin the process of

assessing, referring, and providing education for additional numbers of children. The original

proposal estimated that half of the beneficiaries from the first year will no longer be eligible (due to

relocation to other places, more financial capacity to send children to school, etc) and thus

additional beneficiaries are to be included. With the increase in the overall target for the two years,

this results in a further 1,316 children to be reached in Year Two which will allow for replacements

(as necessary) as well as additional places.

Annual review and impact study

Further to the annual review by DFID, IRJ is also looking forward to conduct an impact study,

hopefully during the first quarter of 2015, that should look into the achievements, challenges, and

lessons learned that could be incorporated into Year Two plans and implementation. One area of the

review will try to draw conclusions and evidence on the value for money that this project modality is

offering.