Stories
April 2, 2026 • 5 min read
After years of conflict and displacement, communities across southern Idlib are slowly beginning to rebuild their lives. While millions of Syrians remain displaced across the country and the wider region, some families are beginning to return to their homes in areas like Heish, often to severely damaged infrastructure and limited services. GOAL, through the European Union-funded SANAD II programme, is supporting communities through integrated humanitarian assistance, including cash assistance, shelter rehabilitation, and water infrastructure repair, that helps restore dignity, stability, and hope.
Cash assistance that restores choice
Abdulsalam Alraji, GOAL Cash and Voucher Assistance Team Leader, explains the importance of flexible support for vulnerable families. “Today we are in the Ma’arat al-Nu’man area, specifically in Heish town, where we are targeting 1,900 beneficiaries,” he says. “In addition to Heish, three neighbouring villages are included in this response, bringing the total number of beneficiaries across the four villages to approximately 2,600.”
Marwan Al-Bakour, GOAL Rehabilitation Engineer, assesses structural damage inside a war-affected house in Heish town, Idlib governorate.
Beneficiaries were selected through a carefully designed vulnerability assessment conducted by specialised committees. The criteria ensure that the most vulnerable households in the community are prioritised. “These standards help us identify the people who need assistance the most,” Abdulsalam explains.
For years, many of these villages stood empty after residents were forced to flee. As families begin returning, they face enormous challenges rebuilding their homes and restarting their lives. GOAL’s cash assistance programming gives families the flexibility to decide how best to use the support.
“We chose cash assistance because it allows people to decide what they need most,” Abdulsalam says. “Some families used the money to repair their homes, while others chose to buy food.”
For many families, this approach is about more than financial support. “It gives them freedom and dignity in choosing the assistance that suits their needs.”
Daily life in Heish town, Idlib governorate, where families are gradually returning and rebuilding their livelihoods after years of displacement.
Restoring water for entire communities
Reliable access to safe water is essential for returning families. GOAL WASH Mechanical Engineer, Ali Al-Jasem, is overseeing the rehabilitation of critical water infrastructure in the region. “ The WASH rehabilitation action focuses on rehabilitating the Al-Laj pumping stations through civil works, providing pumps and electrical control panels, in addition to equipping transformation centres and installing solar energy systems.” he explains.
Ali Al-Jasem, GOAL WASH Mechanical Engineer, oversees rehabilitation works at Al-Laj water station to restore access to safe drinking water for surrounding communities.
The project targets five key stations: the Second Wells Station, the First Al-Laj Station -known as the Spring Station- and three additional pumping stations.
The goal is clear: to support families returning to villages across Jabal Al-Zawiya by restoring essential services such as access to safe drinking water. “Our main objective is to help displaced families return to their homes with dignity,” Ali says. “We do this by ensuring that clean drinking water reaches households again.” WASH activities will benefit more than 33 villages in Jabal Al-Zawiya and surrounding areas.
Ali Al-Jasem and GOAL team members monitor rehabilitation works at Al-Laj water station in Idlib governorate.
Currently, teams are completing the final stages of civil works at the stations, including rehabilitating internal access roads, repairing doors and rooms, and restoring pump infrastructure in the wells. “We hope this project meets the expectations of our displaced communities,” Ali says. “We pray that our efforts contribute positively to their lives.”
GOAL engineers and technicians inspect pump lines inside Al-Laj water station as part of rehabilitation works restoring water services to nearby villages.
Shelter rehabilitation, rebuilding stability
For many returning families, the greatest challenge is the destruction left behind by years of conflict. Marwan Al-Bakour, GOAL Rehabilitation Engineer, supervises the implementation of housing repair activities in Heish town.
Marwan Al-Bakour, GOAL Rehabilitation Engineer, visits a beneficiary’s house in Heish town to ensure rehabilitation works meet technical standards.
The action focuses on repairing homes damaged by the war to ensure families can live safely once again. “The aim is to provide safe shelter that protects families from harsh weather conditions and environmental factors,” Marwan says.
The project addresses two levels of damage. The first category addresses moderate damage, including repairing doors and windows, installing protective metal structures, and conducting plastering work and damage to walls, openings, and utilities. The second category addresses heavy damage, including slight damage in the structure elements (load-bearing walls, columns, beams, or slabs), roof openings, wall rebuilding, and rubble clearance. In total, 439 houses in Heish town will be rehabilitated.
View of houses in Heish town, Idlib governorate, where families are gradually returning and rebuilding their homes.
Marwan’s role includes direct field supervision to ensure all repairs meet technical specifications and quality standards. “This supervision ensures the highest levels of safety and sustainability in the work we carry out,” he explains.
For GOAL, the work goes beyond repair activity. “We are not just rehabilitating shelters,” Marwan says. “We are supporting families who have lost their sense of safety and stability, helping them rebuild a living environment that offers protection, privacy, and dignity.”
A path toward recovery
By combining cash assistance, water infrastructure rehabilitation, and shelter repair, GOAL’s integrated response is helping communities in Syria move toward recovery.
For families returning to Heish and neighbouring villages, these efforts represent more than aid; they are a step toward rebuilding lives, restoring dignity, and creating a safer future.
About EU civil protection and humanitarian aid
The European Union and its Member States are the world’s leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by natural disasters and man-made crises.
Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the European Union provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.
