A Home Away from Home: Syrian Refugees in Jordan
USAID Deputy Administrator Coleman reflects on the challenges that remain for Syrian refugees as the conflict reaches its eleventh year
March 15 marked 11 years since Syrians began a peaceful uprising that was met with horrifying violence by the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad. More than a decade after the start of the conflict, the Syria crisis persists as one of the largest and most complex humanitarian emergencies of our time.
Approximately 14.6 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria — the highest number since the start of the crisis — and 5.7 million Syrian refugees remain displaced in neighboring countries.
While efforts to achieve a political resolution in Syria are ongoing, the prospect of safe return for millions of Syrian refugees remains elusive.
Earlier this month, I traveled to Jordan where 673,000 Syrians reside as refugees. Many have now been displaced for over a decade by this enduring conflict. I also had the opportunity to hear from Jordanians about how the Syrian crisis has shaped their communities.
In Irbid, a city in northern Jordan that hosts more than 136,000 Syrian refugees, I visited the home of Safa’a — a mother, the head of her household, and a Syrian refugee. Safa’a lives in an apartment with her five children and sister-in-law, Nofa, all of whom arrived in Jordan in 2013 after fleeing conflict in their village in southern Syria.
As we sat on cushions around a small gas-powered heater in her living room, Safa’a, Nofa, and Safa’a’s children generously shared their experiences with me.
“We are grateful to live in a safe country, where my children are able to go to school and we have access to basic services,” Safa’a explained.
Indeed, Safa’a’s children are excelling in their studies, and she and her family have built strong relationships with other Syrian refugees living in the neighborhood. The family receives monthly cash assistance from USAID, which is a lifeline for Safa’a and the thousands of Syrian refugees living in Jordan — helping them put food on the table and buy daily essentials.
Jordan, like other countries in the region, has provided extraordinary support and hospitality to Syrian refugees like Safa’a. But even in this welcoming environment, life as a refugee has many challenges. Safa’a and Nofa both work in the informal sector doing temporary jobs in housekeeping, babysitting, and food preparation. This work is critical for meeting family needs, but it is also unreliable and pays low wages. There are often months where Safa’a says they barely scrape by.
“As the head of my family, everything about managing this household is difficult,” she told me. Safa’a recounted the times she was unable to pay her rent in full, or at all, forcing her to borrow money or lean on her Syrian community for support.
Despite the difficulties, Safa’a does not plan to return to Syria anytime soon.
“We hope to return to Syria someday when it’s safe and we can afford a dignified living,” she said somberly. “Our family members there tell us that access to food, livelihoods, and basic services are limited, and we worry about the safety of our children.”
Until then, Safa’a is focused on doing everything she can to provide a brighter future for her children in Jordan, including exploring scholarship options to support her two eldest daughters who dream of becoming doctors. Her eldest is 17 and will soon finish high school.
“How will she be able to go to university?” Safa’a worries. “We have no money for that and there are almost no scholarships available.”
Talking to a group of Syrian refugees and their Jordanian neighbors, I heard first-hand about the complicated dynamics between the communities and the various ways the conflict has shaped their lives. In many ways, their challenges are similar: limited economic opportunities, expensive health care, overcrowded schools, bullying, and insufficient resources for people living with disabilities.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges for both Syrian refugee and Jordanian host communities. Still, it was clear from the discussions that many viewed these challenges as burdens that they must bear together. As one Jordanian proclaimed, “I’d like to replace the term ‘refugee’ with ‘brother.’ We are in the same boat. We share food at the same table…there are many commonalities between Syrians and Jordanians.”
As the largest humanitarian donor to the Syria crisis, the United States is committed to continuing to work tirelessly to ease the suffering of those remaining in Syria and empower Syrian refugees residing in neighboring countries to pursue a prosperous future. In fiscal year 2021 alone, the United States provided more than $254 million to provide essential food, nutrition, health, protection, education, livelihoods, and water, sanitation, and hygiene support for Syrian refugees in Jordan and their Jordanian host communities.
But we must also recognize that no amount of assistance will solve this crisis. Only a political solution to the conflict can provide lasting peace for the people of Syria.
As we mark 11 tragic years since the onset of the Syria crisis, stories such as Safa’a’s are all too common. The United States is committed to working with our allies, partners, and the UN to advance prospects for a political settlement, while we continue to support the Syrian people whose lives remain upended by this conflict.
Get more information on USAID’s lifesaving work in Syria.
About the Author
Isobel Coleman is the Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming at USAID. Heather Schommer, a communicator with USAID’s Southern Syria Assistance Platform, and Sonja Brinker, the Information Officer for the Syria Disaster Assistance Response Team based in Amman, contributed to this report.
