Syrian refugees’ perspectives and service providers’ viewpoints on major needs and future plans in Jordan

Abstract

The ongoing civil war in Syria created the world’s largest refugee crisis since World War II. As exile continues for many Syrians, this study aimed to explore what refugees perceive as their major needs and plans for the future in comparison to what service providers believe is needed and should be planned in Jordan. Phenomenological design and inductive reasoning were used in this study to explore refugees’ needs and future plans from the etic view by interviewing key informants and from the emic view by analyzing interviews with refugees. After coding and comparing the key informants’ interviews and refugees’ narratives, six main themes emerged: (1) gap between refugees’ expectations and reality of humanitarian services; (2) rent as a major but neglected challenge; (3) older adults: vulnerable and at the back of the queue for services; (4) mental health of adults as an overlooked need; (5) education: hard to access for extremely poor and adults; and (6) an uncertain and unplanned future. Findings suggest a need for better information sharing strategies about services, targeted programs for urbane refugees and older adults, awareness-raising about importance of the mental health and protracted exile, and long-term planning.

Breastfeeding and complementary feeding in fragile settings: the case of Syrian refugees and their host communities in North Lebanon

“…The Syrian refugee crisis constitutes a recent case of such a fragile situation. The displacement caused by the Syrian war has been the largest reported second only to that reported after World War II [ 6 ]. Since its start in 2011, the Syrian war has led to the massive, protracted displacement of more than 6.5 million refugees, with the majority fleeing to neighboring countries such as Lebanon [ 7 , 8 ].…”

Mardin'de Yaşayan Suriyeli Mültecilerin Uyumları ve Gelecek Beklentileri: 2014 ile 2021 Yılları Arasındaki Değişim

“…The fact that nearly half of the participants answered that they did not have any idea about the future to the question "How do you see the future", that the majority of the participants gave the answer 'partially' to looking at the future with hope, and that the number of respondents who answered 'partially' to worrying about their children growing up in Turkey reveals this situation. In the literature, it is possible to find similar results pertaining to the situations of Syrian refugees looking to the future with hope and seeing the future as uncertain (Apak and Acar 2020;Jabbar and Zaza, 2014;Kanak and Özen, 2018;Naseh et al, 2020). Uncertainty about the future of refugees is a serious risk factor.…”

“We Aren’t Only Here to Teach”: Caring Practices of Teachers in the Context of Inclusive Refugee Education in Jordan

“…Syrian refugees in urban areas face high levels of poverty, overcrowded housing, high rates of unemployment, and limited access to social services. Most Syrian refugees live below the poverty line (Naseh et al, 2020), and only 36% of them are active in the labor market (Fallah et al, 2021). Many Syrians work in the informal sector without benefits or financial stability and face frequent exploitation and abuse (Fallah et al, 2021).…”

“…Many Syrians work in the informal sector without benefits or financial stability and face frequent exploitation and abuse (Fallah et al, 2021). To support themselves financially, many Syrian refugees have exhausted their savings, sold their primary assets, and gone deep into debt (Naseh et al, 2020).…”