Mondo and the Estonian Refugee Council to support Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye

The Estonian Refugee Council and NGO Mondo received funding to implement projects with special attention given to women, children and young people.

Almost 13 years after the start of the military conflict, Syria is in one of the world's most complex humanitarian crises. Estonia's aim has been to contribute to improving the situation of Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye, where the largest Syrian refugee communities in the region are located, with a special focus on children and women. Children are particularly vulnerable, as they are out of school and at higher risk of child labour, trafficking and recruitment into militant groups. Activities targeting Syrian refugees have been implemented since 2016 with the support of Estonian civil society partners.

Project activities pay special attention to women, children and youth. "ESTDEV-supported projects help to increase the self-reliance of crisis-affected people, for example by supporting them in starting a business in Jordan and entering the labour market. In both Lebanon and Türkiye, there is a great need to support vulnerable communities, in particular women, children and young people, to access education, including non-formal education, and income-generating activities," said Annika Leek, Project Manager at ESTDEV.

Mondo’s project will support Syrian refugees and other vulnerable communities in Lebanon and Türkiye. The project will work with women, children and young people to develop self-sufficiency skills by building digital competencies and entrepreneurial knowledge through educational events.

Over the course of the project, Mondo will conduct training sessions on digital skills and entrepreneurship for Syrian women, children and youth and other vulnerable communities, including Lebanese, Palestinians and Kurds. Knowledge exchange sessions will also be held in Lebanon. The project contributes to fulfilling UN Sustainable Development Goals 1, 4, 5 and 8.

The Estonian Refugee Council will provide subsistence support, resources and fair work opportunities to Syrian refugees in Jordan who, due to the restrictions placed on them in the labour market, are only allowed to work in agriculture, production, construction and narrowly defined service sectors.

The project will provide training on sustainable farming methods and tools to establish crop production without soil (hydroponics) in their households, contributing to their food security and livelihoods. An online environment will also be created where people can exchange experiences related to crop production and ask questions from agricultural experts. Additional training sessions will be conducted for members of four women's community-based organisations (CBOs), and educational materials will be developed, enabling them to conduct their own workshops on hydroponics in the future.

Photo credit: NGO Mondo