SYRIA PROPOSAL FOR 2007 AMBASSADOR FUND FOR

UNCLAS DAMASCUS 000651 SIPDIS SIPDIS PRM/ANE, AMMAN FOR REFCOORD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREF SY SUBJECT: SYRIA PROPOSAL FOR 2007 AMBASSADOR FUND FOR REFUGEES ¶1. (U) Request: Post requests $20,000 from the Ambassador Fund for Refugees for the NGO LIFE for Relief and Development for a 10-day summer camp in August 2007 that would benefit 80 Iraqi and 20 Syrian children from eight to 12 years old. ¶2. (U) Background and justification: LIFE for Relief and Development was founded in 1992 by Iraqi Americans. Its Syria office is registered with the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs/International Organizations and Conferences Department, according to organization literature. LIFE coordinates relief and development projects in Syria with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and is expected to become an implementing partner for a PRM-funded CARE project in Syria. There are very few functional NGOs on the ground in Syria; LIFE was the only organization that provided Ambassador Fund proposals on a tight deadline. Objectives for this project include: -- Provide creative and recreational activities for vulnerable Iraqi children; -- Help them integrate into the host community; -- Raise hygiene awareness; -- Teach them handicrafts; -- Provide good nutrition via two daily meals during the camp and distribute non-food items. Of the more than 1 million Iraqis who have fled the Iraqi conflict to Syria, almost 300,000 are believed to be school-age children, according to UNICEF. Most are not in school and most live in cramped urban areas with little recreational space. This project would reach only a small number of Iraqi children but would be part of efforts by other NGOs and would encourage further such activities. LIFE would also include poor Syrian children as part of its efforts to integrate Iraqis into the host society. Additionally, the inclusion of Syrian children would give this project a better chance of not being blocked by Syrian authorities. Cost per child per day for the Ambassador Fund would be USD 20. ¶3. (U) Estimated budget: ITEM Value $ Personnel 6,500 Transportation/Outings 3,900 Rent 2,000 Food 6,538 Media/brochures/invites 3,548 and stationery Items for distribution 4,187 TOTAL 26,673 Ambassador's Fund 20,000 LIFE Participation 6,673 ¶4. (U) Implementation: Emboffs will monitor the program in coordination with the regional refugee coordinator. ¶5. (U) Post has the authority and procedures in place to transfer these funds to Life. CORBIN