Real-time evaluation of World Vision's response to the Syrian Crisis

With a presence in Lebanon since 1975, World Vision began providing assistance to Syrian refugees in Lebanon in 2011. The programme expanded as the influx of refugees increased in 2013. The World Vision response in Jordan began in February 2013, and its response out of Turkey into Northern Syria began in March 2013. The World Vision partnership declared a Category III emergency with a Global Response in June 2013. The response goal is ‘to alleviate suffering and improve the quality of life for refugees, IDPs and vulnerable host communities impacted by the Syrian crisis, with a particular emphasis on the needs of affected children’. Programmes implemented in all three countries to achieve the goal have focused on critical life-saving support and services including food, WASH and non-food items such as hygiene, newcomer and baby kits. Small-scale Children in Emergencies activities were supported in Jordan and Lebanon, and a significant health programme which includes safe spaces for woman, adolescent and young child spaces (WAYCS) as part of health centres was implemented in Northern Syria. To assess the quality of World Vision’s response to the Syria crisis, a real-time evaluation was conducted in the three responding countries from 8 to 27 March 2014. The RTE assessed the response against six criteria: timeliness, effectiveness, coverage, relevance, accountability and connectedness/sustainability.