Jordan

A place of refuge between willingness to help and being overwhelmed.

Jordan has taken in the second highest percentage Syrian refugees in the world, after Lebanon, in proportion to its population.

Jordan, as a country neighboring Syria, has taken in hundreds of thousands of individuals fleeing the violence in Syria. The Jordanian government has made many efforts to support the refugees. However, due to the long-term strain and ongoing pressure, Jordan is increasingly reaching the limits of its already strained health, education and infrastructure systems. The country faces major economic and social challenges, such as high unemployment and an increasing number of Jordanians living below the poverty line. Extreme water shortages and the spread of COVID-19 also weigh heavily on the country.

Jordan operates large refugee camps where residents receive regular food, water, and shelter with international support. More than 80 percent of Syrian refugees, however, live in Jordanian cities, mostly under extremely poor conditions.

Although many Syrians are officially registered as refugees, they have few legal rights. They are eligible for many public services, but availability is often limited due to increased demand. Most employment sectors are closed to them and given the high unemployment rate, many cannot find work, have no income of their own, and are thus dependent on aid.

Almost half of the Syrian refugees are children under the age of 15. Many are considered at risk because at least two of the following basic needs are not secured: Education, Health, Water and Sanitation, Child Protection, and Child Safety. Because families cannot afford the cost of school fees, school supplies and transportation, many children do not attend school.

Vision Hope is active in the Capital city of Amman, Mafraq, and Karak to support both refugee families and socially disadvantaged families from the host community.

Key challenges in Jordan

Integration of refugee swith the local host communities

Support for local women

Trauma healing

Supporting Minority Refugees in Jordan

Improved educational, social, and economic integration of Somali, Sudanese and Yemeni Minorities in Jordan

In addition to many Syrian refugees, Jordan is also home to numerous refugees from other countries, such as Yemen, Somalia, and Sudan. Minority Refugees (MR) often face many legal problems and are not officially recognized in Jordan. They often do not have access to humanitarian basic needs such as health, education system, and work. They are excluded from assistance due to a lack of a work permit or lack of opportunities to obtain housing. Their vulnerability and lack of protection are compounded by the fact that they do not know their rights.

What we do

To tackle these challenges Vision Hope partnered with Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD), a local civil society organization to implement the Improved Educational, Social and Economic Integration of Somali, Sudanese, and Yemeni Minorities project in Amman, Jordan. The project is supported financially by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Starting in July 2022 with a duration of 2 years, the project will focus on providing various legal services and improved educational opportunities to increase protection (through education) for the Sudanese, Somali and Yemeni communities, as well as the Jordanian host population. It targets approximately 560 Sudanese, Somali and Yemeni families living in poorer neighborhoods in East Amman and approximately 240 disadvantaged families in the host community. The total number of beneficiaries amounts to more than 4.000 (children, youth, and parents). Some of the project activities include:

  • Educational premises renovation, to serve as a hub for MRs residing in the Amman area.
  • Legal advice, including mitigation and litigation services.
  • English courses for kids along with Arts and Aesthetic classes; Vocational education scholarships.
  • Advocacy

You can also help create a safe community for those who need it the most.

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Women Empowerment

Improving the Income Situation of vulnerable families in Jordan as a result of COVID-19

Within the broader unemployment figures, unemployment percentages in certain rural and semi-urban regions, including the two targeted governorates, Karak and Mafraq, in Jordan reached 18 % and 20% respectively. Unemployment among women is significantly higher compared to men. Similarly, in terms of labor force participation rate, women’s participation stands below 15%, compared to around 60% for men. This is not just an attribute of the Jordanian labor market, but a common feature across the Arab States, which have the widest gender gap in workforce participation globally.

Against this backdrop, the country has also been heavily impacted by COVID-19. Jordan imposed one of the world’s harshest lockdowns in March 2020, and the pandemic has taken a strong toll on Jordan’s economy. Looking ahead, the pandemic will have a lasting impact on the Jordanian economy, as with Jordan’s trading partners and the MENA region as a whole.

What we do

In cooperation with two local partner organizations in Karak and Mafraq, Vision Hope is implementing the project Enhancing Economic Livelihood which focuses on employment skills and general barriers to women’s employment in Jordan. This project aims to help at least 480 women to benefit from professional training and skill-based apprenticeships to provide them with a source of income and elevate their wealth status.

And to convey competencies oriented towards the demands of the market, the women will have acquired a clearly defined and practical skill set that enables them to start earning money on their own.

The aim of the project does not stop at the training phase only but also follows by coaching, mentoring, and further training in business development for six months after the completion of the main training in one of the following fields:

  • Home-based day-care
  • Elderly Care
  • Compost production

 

When you directly empower 1 woman, you indirectly support one family with 5 family members.

Hope Kindergartens

Trauma management and learning through play

The disturbing experiences of the war in Syria and the difficult journey to Jordan, in addition to the conditions faced upon arrival, leave deep scars, especially on refugee children. They are regularly plagued by nightmares or show severe behavioral problems in certain situations. Younger children may be burdened by the unresolved war traumas of their parents.

At the same time, there is a lack of sufficient educational and psychological services for children of refugee families. Despite strong efforts on the Jordanian side, educational opportunities remain unequal.

What we do

In cooperation with two local partner organizations, VHI has been operating two kindergartens in Manshia and Karak since 2013. The kindergartens are accessible to children of all nationalities and thus contribute to integration.

In the Hope Kindergartens, children are prepared to enter primary school with play-based teaching. Through artistic, physical, and therapeutic activities, the children are also supported in coping with psychological stress. Regular pediatric and dental checkups are also part of the program. The kindergarten operation creates jobs for teachers from Syria and Jordan. Almost 180 children are able to participate in the kindergarten program each year.

Donate now for the future of these children!

Strengthening Education and Integration

Support for Jordanian communities hosting Syrian refugees

Despite a comprehensive strategy to improve the quality of education on the part of the Jordanian government, more than a quarter of public schools are in need of renovation and modernization. The large influx of Syrian children ran up against a school system that had already reached capacity. This means that Syrian children are often taught separately from Jordanian children due to a lack of space and teachers.

As a result, there are gaps in the quality of education provided and interactions with Jordanian peers are limited, which hinders integration.

What we do

With the aim of improving the educational situation of Syrian and Jordanian children, our program supports communities hosting large numbers of refugees. In doing so, we work with local humanitarian organizations and the government and have expanded our work from our own family centers to also include public schools where at least 30% of enrolled children are Syrians.

The program provides after-school educational support and extracurricular activities to promote integration, with all activities serving Syrian and Jordanian students. Tutoring programs are offered at the family centers, as well as in teachers’ homes in more distant neighborhoods for a decentralized approach.

Mobile teams visit remote areas and conduct integrated extracurricular activities, with the goal of improving social cohesion between children from refugee families and the host community. Finally, we conduct physical building maintenance and renovation of local kindergartens, both at the Family Centers as well as nearby public schools.

Support us in our efforts to provide educational services to refugee children!

 

Our projects in Jordan

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Insights to the projects in Jordan