Our activities in the area of food security remain important

One of the bakeries supported by arche nova in Syria is a small business in the Al-Awda camp in the city of Kelly. Wadha Awad Al-Hassan's working day begins here at five o'clock in the morning. The oven has to be heated with wood and the dough prepared. A total of six women work here. In no time at all, they transform the small balls of dough into thin flatbreads, which are then baked in a tandoor oven. By breakfast time, the first loaves of bread, known as ‘Khubz’, are ready.     Wadha and her colleagues place 7-9 pieces into the prepared bags, which weigh around one kilogramme when full. These are then distributed to particularly needy families in the camp.

Bread distributions help many families get through the day

The residents of the temporary tent city of Al-Awda are among the hundreds of thousands in crisis-stricken Syria who are still living in their places of refuge eight months after the fall of the Assad regime. Many of them have been displaced several times during more than 13 years of war.

"At first, we had nothing: Khaled Ahmad Mustafa recounts. In 2019, his hometown of Ma'arat al-Numan was the target of heavy bombing. Khaled fled with his family and eventually ended up in Kelly. Even today, his income is barely enough to support his family of eleven. This is because the prices of basic foodstuffs in Syria have risen dramatically over the years of crisis.

Every day, at every meal, he wondered whether he could afford a loaf of bread, Khaled recalls. This weighed heavily on him. ‘Now we are well provided for,’ he says. As part of our emergency aid programme with our partner organisation Bonyan, his family receives three bags of bread every day without having to queue for long or travel long distances. ‘This has alleviated our plight considerably.’

Bakers earn their own income

For baker Wadha Awad Al-Hassan, our project with Bonyan is a blessing. ‘It was the turning point in my life,’ she says. She has learned a trade, receives a monthly wage and can now provide for her eight children.

Bread has always played a central role in our projects in Syria as the number one staple food. Arche nova has been supporting bakeries in embattled Aleppo since 2012. Now that conditions allow, our country programme is going beyond emergency aid and contributing to reconstruction, including by promoting wheat production.

900 farms to receive support during restart

The wheat cultivation project supports local agriculture while improving food security in the communities. Support is provided to farms that have suitable agricultural land and need assistance. They receive agricultural inputs such as high-quality seeds, fertilisers and training in modern irrigation techniques. This technical training, combined with ongoing support from agricultural engineers, ensures that cultivation is efficient and meets modern agricultural standards.

After the first harvest, part of the wheat produced is collected as part of our project and processed into flour, which is then used to make bread. This bread is distributed free of charge to needy families in the local community, directly improving food security and well-being.