Doha-based Silatech and Care International in Jordan have released an assessment outlining the opportunities available to youth in the Azraq refugee camp to improve their livelihoods, as well as the types of skills they possess that could help them do so.
Conducted during May-June, the “Baseline Assessment of Skills and Market Opportunities for Youth in Azraq Refugee Camp” is based on more than 200 individual and household interviews and focus group discussions with more than 100 participants in Jordan’s Azraq camp.
The assessment found that demand for work among Azraq camp residents was very high and recommended specific steps to address the demand.
The Azraq camp currently hosts more than 19,000 Syrian refugees, over half of whom are children below the age of 18, while around 45% are of working age (18-59 years).
The assessment found that there is a great need for work in the camp. Many are skilled, or could develop skills, and are keen to build a better life for themselves. Moreover, residents of the Azraq camp need money for their most urgent needs as they rely heavily on a monthly cash allowance of only 20 Jordaninan dinars per person. This small amount is provided for purchasing food through the World Food Programme food distribution point at Sameh Mall.
The assessment finds that camp inhabitants possess a variety of potentially useful skills, including trading, farming, carpentry, food production, teaching and hairdressing, and recommends finding opportunities for refugees to use the skills that they have.
One recommendation in this regard is to open a marketplace in the Azraq camp. Currently, the only place in the camp that sells any kind of goods is Sameh Mall. The opening of a market would provide the camp population with numerous opportunities for income, as well as improve their quality of life by making more products and services readily available.
Fairuz Taqi-Eddin, Silatech’s director of country operations, said: “The much-anticipated market in Azraq camp will support the creation of enterprises. Silatech’s work in the enterprise space has proven to us the positive change that enterprises can bring to the economic status of individuals and families, while creating job opportunities for others.”
Silatech is a regional social initiative that works to improve employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people throughout the Arab world.
The study also includes an in-depth review of the Azraq camp livelihood programme, known as the Incentive-based Volunteering (IBV) scheme.
The IBV scheme is the only mechanism in the camp to register job-seekers, facilitate recruitment and track the status of their placement in IBV opportunities.
“This livelihoods programme is a major step in creating opportunities where refugees can offer their skills or develop new ones. The IBV scheme has injected more than $1mn into the camp economy,” said Salam Kanaan, Care Jordan country director.  
The report also found that women faced several obstacles to participating in the local economy, including household duties, child care and
proximity to workplaces.