**2.1 Importance of renewable energy resources for humanitarian-livelihoods initiative in South Syria**

The primary data research was planned to investigate the impact of using renewable energy as one of humanitarian livelihood initiatives. Consequently, a number of questions were asked in order to identify the HHs' coping strategies to secure food and to what extent they used these strategies. According to the vulnerability analysis mapping unit at WFP (VAM), the Coping Strategy Index (CSI) is often used as a proxy indicator of household food insecurity. It can highlight the HH consumption behaviors, in terms of quantity and sufficiency of food, and can measure the adjustment the HH make in livelihood options and assets [18].

The first group consisted of those who installed solar panels—they showed positive behavior in their coping strategies, the second group consisted of HHs without solar panels who are still using the electrical pump for water pumping—they applied low coping strategy index.

Further disaggregated analysis of HH savings showed that the average saving for male respondents between those who installed solar panels and those who did not is 259,226 SYP (12,017 USD), with 25.8 percent as a positive increase of savings between the ones with solar panels and the ones without. Female respondents showed better improvement than male respondent: 169,444 SYP (788.7 USD) with a 40.4 percent improvement for families with solar panels. Women confirmed that last season, they used productions of their small yards to feed their children and to preserve food for winter.

Regarding the factories' owners, it is conveyed in the analysis that they showed positive behavior in their coping strategy after using renewable energy as source of electrical supply for their small factories, with 29.49 percent as mild the Reduced Coping Strategies Index (rCSi)<sup>3</sup> and 16.7 percent as low rCSi. The only female owner showed a sufficient ability in reducing the coping strategy index, which is a good indication that a woman can support her family financially and adapt to different situation.
