Middle East
In the Middle East the volume of FCA’s staff was 24, partnering with nine local organizations across the region.
” We gathered the most important things in less than an hour, left our home, and tried to catch a ride with any vehicle leaving the city.That´s how we fled the war in Syria to Azraq refugee camp in Jordan four years ago. My older children have participated in the computer and English courses arranged by FCA in the camp. Education is very important. I wish everything would be possible for my children.”
Rose Hashan, 45, Syrian refugee,
Jordan
Finn Church Aid’s work in the Middle East focused on supporting refugee education and livelihood opportunities in Jordan and Syria.
In JORDAN, Syrian refugees continued to impact society in many ways without any sign of their large-scale return. With the prolongation of the war in Syria, it has been increasingly difficult to obtain international funding for humanitarian assistance.
FCA’s efforts in Jordan focused in particular on building resilience of refugees and their Jordanian host communities with a view to reducing dependency on humanitarian aid. In Jordan, FCA operated in the Za’atari and Azraq refugee camps, as well as in the capital city of Amman.
We combated youth unemployment by offering education and by helping youth find jobs, engaging in cooperation with businesses, and supporting the establishment of small enterprises. We strengthened local competencies and youth employment by providing training in student counselling and on-the-job learning to 32 representatives of vocational schools and the private sector.
Instructors trained by FCA provided support to 501 people in transferring to the labour market or to new jobs.
The education offered to youth included subjects like English, ITC skills, mobile phone repair courses, and craft workshops. Additionally, the young people received psychosocial support through physical exercise and other recreational activities, such as circus and soccer.
In SYRIA, FCA’s efforts focused on reconstructing schools in central Syria. Having functional and safe schools is one of the most important issues when internally displaced families consider returning home.
We supported the reconstruction of 11 schools, delivered school supplies, and arranged educational events. Thanks to such events, 10 000 learners gained access to either formal or informal education. In 2018, the work has mainly focused on infrastructure rehabilitation.
FCA provided 393 teachers with further education, which strengthened their competence to support learners who have been affected by the conflict. Of the teachers who participated in this training, 39% were women.
The needs in the education sector are immense since around 50 000 teachers have left the sector due to the war.
In the PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES AND ISRAEL, FCA offered hundreds of students entrepreneurship training and workshops to activate social thinking. To the youngest school children, we offered afternoon activities.
The first volunteers of Teachers without Borders Finland network in the Palestinian Territories trained teachers in cooperation with the education authorities. In East Jerusalem, we provided support to children and youth whose education was in danger of being disrupted.
In Israel, 162 young people participated in workshops, where they were given tools for dealing with sensitive socio-political issues and encouraged to participate in civic activism.
In the West Bank, we supported the cooperatives of rural women. The women’s strengthened marketing skills and better access to the markets contributed to the birth of 27 new jobs in the Qalqilya countryside. The saving and loan groups of the villages granted EUR 90 000 in microloans to small, rural businesses.