Videos

Nidaa, Lebanese and Mariam, Syrian, are 2 neighbours and friends living in Berqayel, a city North of Lebanon, where water scarcity is a major concern. On average, households need to buy water every 3 days which puts a strain on the finances of struggling families. Thanks to the support of the European Union via the EU Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis, Nidaa benefits from a rainwater collection system that allows her to have access to water all year around, for a reduced cost. Mariam hopes she will be able to benefit from the system as well, which would help her family save a lot of money.

Mohammad, 28, was a student in Arabic literature in Damascus, Syria. Due to the war, he decided to suspend his studies and move to Jordan, to find a safer place for his parents to live. After almost 6 years and thanks to an EDU-Syria scholarship, he was able to go back to studying and decided to start his degree in business administration, a field that would guarantee better job opportunities. Thanks to the financial support of the European Union, via the EU Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, EDU-Syria has been able to award more than 3,800 scholarships to Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians in Jordan since the end of 2015.

Aziza, 24, lives in Jordan and has a bachelor’s in chemistry. Finding work in her field is really tough as this sector is practically nonexistent in her region. But Aziza did not lose hope: after seeing an ad on social media, she applied for a cash-for-work training in electricity & maintenance organised by UN Women. It was her opportunity to learn a new skill & commit to a job with an official schedule. The Oasis Centres, led by the Ministry of Social Development & UN Women, with the support of the EU via the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, help women generate an income while increasing their sense of empowerment.

When invading the Rabia region, at the border with Syria, in 2014, Daesh destroyed all the bridged, water stations and irrigation systems. Fayed and Fares are amongst those who were hired to remove the debris and rubble from the clogged canals, so that water can flow again in the region. Thanks to the financial support of the EU through the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been able to clear valuable farmland around the canals of undetonated ordinances, so farmers can go back to planting crops and grazing their livestock safely. With its cash-for-work component, FAO is helping increase households’ income by creating short-term employment opportunities for 1,250 vulnerable families.

Riham, Jordanian and Zeinab, Syrian, are not only friends: they have been business partners for the past 3 years. Thanks to the EuroMed Feminist Initiative (EFI) and the financial support of the EU via the EU Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, Riham was able to open her cooking business and hire Zeinab as her partner. Hospitality trainings, seed funding and branding support were all fundamental elements in building and expanding these friends' business. About 45,000 Syrian refugee women and local communities' women in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq are given the chance to grow their businesses and become financially independent.

Eslam is a 25-year-old Jordanian girl who decided to invest in her talent. After graduating with a bachelor's in criminal and delinquency studies and not being able to find a job, she decided to follow a graphic design course offered by the Jordan Red Cross. She now has her own graphic design business and she is financially independent! Amongst other things, and with the support of the EU via the EU Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) offer vocational trainings, like the one followed by Eslam that help members of vulnerable communities develop the skills needed to access the job market.

Firas, 28, is from Deraa, Syria. In 2013, he moved to Jordan and settled in Za'atari camp. Thanks to an EDU-Syria scholarship he was awarded in 2016, he was able to finish his studies at Zarqa university. After that, he found a job as coordinator for the Tiger Programme, working with children between 12 and 17. Thanks to the financial support of the European Union, via the EU Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, EDU-Syria has been able to award more than 3,800 scholarships to Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians in Jordan since the end of 2015.

Nesreen is 35 and with her family, she fled Deraa, Syria and now lives in Taybe, Jordan. Thanks to a UN Women-led cash-for-work training, supported by the European Union via the EU Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, she learnt how to sew. Being able to work and to provide for the needs of her family has had an incredibly positive psychological impact on Nesreen and her family. 

Salim, 43, is from Irbid, Jordan and lives with his family of 6. Because water is very scarce, its price can be pretty steep for families like Salim’s, who struggle to make ends meet. Their situation, however, has improved tremendously since the installation of a bigger water tank, a water heater and taps in their house. Through the WAAD project, the European Union, via the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis, works with local authorities to provide Lebanese and Jordanian communities, as well as Syrian refugees, with improved water and sanitation infrastructures, reaching 460,000 people.