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Training program for young Iraqi refugees

syrie_formatJeunes  Sector: Vocational Training                                                                    
Location: Jaramana (Suburb of Damascus), Syria
Local Partner: Syrian Red Crescent
Start of Partnership: 2008

 

Context and Considerations

Over the last years, many Iraqis have fled their home country’s political situation and settled in Syria. In the suburbs of Damascus, there are currently an estimated 500.000 Iraqi refugees. These families are having difficulties integrating the Syrian society socially and professionally because of their past traumatic experiences and their precarious refugee status.  Almost half of their youths (45%) do not attend any form of schooling, as a study conducted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees pointed out in July 2009. Without education, they cannot expect a stable professional situation.

Solution Proposed

The UNHCR’s study on the refugees’ situation confirms that providing the youths with technical qualifications would be appropriate in order to enhance their chances of integrating the job market. Thus, the IECD, with the support of the Syrian Red Crescent, has launched the first center for professional training and social accompaniment in the neighborhood of Jaramana in southern Damascus where the concentration of Iraqi refugees is particularly high. This centre allows young Iraqis between the ages of 14 and 21 to acquire technical skills in areas with employment opportunities, such as secretariat and electricity. Furthermore, there are English language classes as well as I.T. classes. The trainings, which last either 3 or 6 months, do not only intend to pass on professional knowledge, they also want to encourage the youth’s personal development because they have often been traumatized by war and violence. Thus, the centre offers many extracurricular activities.

Impact and Results

Since January 2009, 120 young people have been trained and 100 new beneficiaries joined the training in the third trimester of 2009. Because of the project’s success, which is illustrated by an increasing number of admission demands, a new center will be opened in 2010. This center will mostly deal with other refugee populations currently in Syria as well as Syrians whose socio-economic situation is precarious.