IN MY OWN HANDS A MEDIUM-TERM APPROACH TOWARDS SELF-RELIANCE AND RESILIENCE OF SYRIAN REFUGEES AND HOST COMMUNITIES IN JORDAN January 2020 Research report The Durable Solutions Platform (DSP) aims to generate knowledge that informs and inspires forward-thinking policy and practice on the long-term future of displaced Syrians. Since its establishment in 2016, the DSP has developed research projects and supported advocacy efforts on key questions regarding durable solutions for Syrians. In addition, DSP has strengthened the capacity of civil society organizations on solutions to displacement. The Program on Forced Migration and Health (PFMH) is housed in the Department of Population and Family Health at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. It is one of the world’s leading centers of humanitarian research, training, and continuing education, professionalizing the field of humanitarian response. It was founded in 1998 as one of the first interdisciplinary, practice-based humanitarian research and educational programs offered by a major university. Today, the program continues to lead the development of evidence-based approaches to the humanitarian response and to train the next generation of global leaders. This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Regional Development and Protection Programme (RDPP II) for Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq, which is supported by the Czech Republic, Denmark, the European Union, Ireland and Switzerland. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the Durable Solutions Platform and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the RDPP or its donors. “Self-reliance is the true essence, for a human to feel himself and feel stability – if I’d rely on you and I wouldn’t know when you’d cut aid from me, I wouldn’t be prepared. I wouldn’t be prepared psychologically, I’d be frustrated, because the decision would be yours, so I want my decision to be mine, in my own hands, the decision of my children – how to feed them, how to dress them, how to pay my rent.” Syrian refugee man in East Amman “A Syrian is as human as anybody else…Syrians and Jordanians are brothers … and neighbors… and one tribe.” Syrian refugee man in East Amman Acknowledgements This report was authored by Ling San Lau, Goleen Samari, Sarah Guyer, Yusur Al-Salman, and Principal Investigator Monette Zard. We are grateful for the invaluable research guidance from Stephanie Grilo and Sara Casey, and research assistance from Trena Mukherjee, along with supporting help from Christina Kay and Rocio Rodriguez Casquete. Many people gave generously of their time and advice throughout the research process. In particular, we would like to thank Lana Stade and Hamzeh Yaseen from the Durable Solutions Platform, for their substantive inputs throughout the process, from inception through to implementation and editing the final content. Hanya Salah, Ahmad Mousa and the staff of the Columbia University Global Center in Amman were gracious hosts for all of our research meetings and provided invaluable guidance throughout the research process. We wish to thank the Research Reference Group, composed of Farah Abu Safe, Katharina Lenner, Manuel Rodriguez Pumarol, Tatiana Jasmin Sibaai, Matthew Lucas, Tala Sweis, Amany Qaddour, Maram Abu Damous, the JIF Advocacy Coordinator and the Arab Renaissance for Democracy and Development (ARDD); and the many key informants who shared their guidance and insights (organizations listed in Annex 2). Finally, we are deeply grateful to the refugees and host populations who participated in the research process and who are the focus of this report, for generously giving their time and sharing their thoughts and experiences, in the hope of improving the lives of those in their communities. We are honored and humbled by the trust you have placed in us. Suggested citation Durable Solutions Platform and Program on Forced Migration and Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. “In My Own Hands”: A Medium-Term Approach towards Self-Reliance and Resilience of Syrian refugees and Host Communities in Jordan. January 2020. Amman, Jordan. Cover picture: Mais Salman/DRC JANUARY 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ACRONYMS ............................................................................................................ 5 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 6 1.1. Background to the Report .................................................................................................... 6 1.2. Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 6 1.3. A Note on Terminology ....................................................................................................... 7 Figure 1: Resilience: Application of Assets and Capacities ............................................ 7 1.4. Background and Context ..................................................................................................... 7 1.5. Jordan as an Incubator for Innovative Policy Approaches .............................................................................................. 8 1.6. Common Vulnerabilities, Distinct Challenges ...................................................................... 9 2. EDUCATION: Learning from Shared Challenges ............................................................ 11 2.1. Policy Landscape ............................................................................................................... 12 2.2. Structural Barriers to Education ......................................................................................... 13 BOX 1: School Transport – More Than a Matter of Access ........................................... 16 BOX 2: Diversion from the Formal Education System .................................................. 17 BOX 3: Leadership Matters – Lessons Learned from a Model Integrated School ........ 19 2.3. The Way Forward .............................................................................................................. 21 2.4. Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 22 3. LIVELIHOODS: The Key to Self-Reliance ........................................................................ 25 3.1. Policy Landscape ................................................................................................................ 25 3.2. Structural Barriers to Livelihoods ....................................................................................... 26 BOX 4: Livelihoods, Freedom of Movement & Transport – Inextricably Linked ........... 30 3.3. Access to Decent Work ...................................................................................................... 30 Box 5: Work Permits – “Necessary but not Sufficient” ................................................. 32 BOX 6: Livelihoods in the Camp Context ..................................................................... 32 3.4. The Way Forward ............................................................................................................... 33 BOX 7: Linking Vocational Training to Livelihoods ....................................................... 35 3.4. Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 36 4. A SOCIAL SAFETY NET: From Fragmentation to Coordination .................................... 38 4.1. Policy Landscape ................................................................................................................ 39 4.2. Poverty and Debt .............................................................................................................. 40 BOX 8: Childhood Lost: Coping through Child Labor .................................................. 43 BOX 9: Documentation, Access to Services, and Vulnerability..................................... 44 4.3. A Fragmented and Confusing Social Assistance System .................................................. 45 4.4. The Way Forward .............................................................................................................. 46 Box 10: Community Support Centres as a Model of Inclusivity .................................... 48 4.5. Recommendations ............................................................................................................. 48 5. CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................ 50 6. OVERARCHING RECOMMENDATIONS: ........................................................................ 51 ANNEX 1. METHODOLOGY .............................................................................................. 52 ANNEX 2: KEY INFORMANTS ........................................................................................... 53 REFERENCES ..................................................................................................................... 54 4 JANUARY 2020 LIST OF ACRONYMS 3RP Regional Refugee & Resilience Plan AAI Accelerating Access to Education Initiative ARDD Arab Renaissance for Democracy & Development ASC Asylum-Seeker Certificate CVA Comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment CBO Community-based Organization DAFI Albert Einstein German Academic Refugee Initiative Program DRC