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26 images Created 27 May 2017

Seven years on: signs of hope for Syria's refugees

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  • Amer, from Aleppo, Syria, now working in a plastics packaging factory in Amman, Jordan. The factory is owned by a Syrian entrepreneur who moved his business from Damascus to Amman in 2012 due to the conflict in Syria. The company now employs 200 Jordanians and 80 Syrian workers, and has recently signed up to be able to export to the EU as part of a compact agreed at the Supporting Syria & the Region Conference, which was co-hosted by the UK in London on 4 February 2016.
    _M4A5587_32678568015_o.jpg
  • A Syrian refugee at work in a Lebanese textile factory supported by UK aid and Mercy Corps. <br />
<br />
UK aid is supporting Mercy Corps to create jobs in Lebanon, for Lebanese workers as well as Syrian refugees. The INTAJ (Improving Networks, Training and Jobs) programme is aimed at strengthening Lebanese communities by building stronger businesses and increasing employment. <br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    _M4A5350_32525739202_o.jpg
  • Syrian brothers Radwan, Ibrahim, Ramadan (in wheelchair) and their mother, pictured outside their make-shift shelter in an informal tented settlement in Zahle, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. The family is from Idlib in Syria, but they fled to Lebanon 4 years ago because of the fighting. It took them 4 days to get to Zahle as Radwan had to carry Ramadan. Ramadan is paralyzed from the waist down as a result of complications when he was born prematurely. <br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    A Syrian family outside their tempor...jpg
  • A Syrian refugee boy walks amongst snow and mud an informal tented settlement in Lebanon's Bekaa valley, 30 January 2017.<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    A Syrian refugee boy walks amongst s...jpg
  • Yasser and his wife Bahryeh with their 3 children, Mohammed, Abdullah and Amal, pictured outside their one-roomed shelter in the Azraq camp for Syrian refugees in nothern Jordan. They come from Deir-ez-zor in Syria and arrived in Azraq in April 2016.<br />
<br />
Before leaving Syria they had been internally displaced for over three years, moving four times inside the country to escape the fighting. One of the boys has a medical condition that requires a medical check up every three months. This was the main reason that Yasser and Bahryeh finally decided to leave Syria as the access to medical facilities was getting harder and they could not get treatment for their son.<br />
<br />
Yasser used to work as a barber in Syria, but has now trained as an electrical engineer in Azraq, helping to connect shelters in the camp to the electricity grid. He hopes to go back to Syria one day, but in the meantime hopes to also open a barber shop in Jordan if he can.<br />
<br />
The family receives a monthly $175 cash assistance grant via UNHCR, as part of a programme which is co-funded by the UK and other donors. This helps towards living costs, meaning families can choose what they need to spend the money on. Cash assistance is increasingly seen as a more cost-effective way of providing humanitarian aid in a protracted crisis, as every family has different needs and circumstances.<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    A Syrian refugee family in the Azraq...jpg
  • Yasser and his wife Bahryeh with their 3 children, Mohammed, Abdullah and Amal, pictured inside their one-roomed shelter in the Azraq camp for Syrian refugees in nothern Jordan. They come from Deir-ez-zor in Syria and arrived in Azraq in April 2016.<br />
<br />
Before leaving Syria they had been internally displaced for over three years, moving four times inside the country to escape the fighting. One of the boys has a medical condition that requires a medical check up every three months. This was the main reason that Yasser and Bahryeh finally decided to leave Syria as the access to medical facilities was getting harder and they could not get treatment for their son.<br />
<br />
Yasser used to work as a barber in Syria, but has now trained as an electrical engineer in Azraq, helping to connect shelters in the camp to the electricity grid. He hopes to go back to Syria one day, but in the meantime hopes to also open a barber shop in Jordan if he can.<br />
<br />
The family receives a monthly $175 cash assistance grant via UNHCR, as part of a programme which is co-funded by the UK and other donors. This helps towards living costs, meaning families can choose what they need to spend the money on. Cash assistance is increasingly seen as a more cost-effective way of providing humanitarian aid in a protracted crisis, as every family has different needs and circumstances.<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    A Syrian refugee family in the Azraq...jpg
  • Alfyhaa Plastics factory in Amman, Jordan - a Syrian owned business employing Jordanians and Syrian refugees.<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    Alfyhaa Plastics factory in Amman, J...jpg
  • Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    An informal tented settlement, home ...jpg
  • Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    A Syrian refugee clears snow from a ...jpg
  • Ramadan is from Idlib in Syria. He's been disabled since birth, and is paralyzed from the waist down. He now lives with his mother, two brothers and their wider family in an informal tented settlement in Lebaon's Bekaa valley, just a few miles from the border with Syria. His nickname is 'Alqawi' - 'the strong man'. <br />
<br />
"We have been in Lebanon for 4 years", he says.<br />
<br />
"Life here is very difficult. We suffered a lot to come to Lebanon, and I suffered the most. We escaped shelling and fighting. We lost everything.<br />
<br />
"Our situation here in Lebanon is fine, but I hope western countries would help us more. I’m very grateful to Britain. Everything helps with this.<br />
<br />
"I am ill and handicapped. I had 4 operations and cannot walk. I am disabled since I was born, not because of an accident. I was born premature, and my body is small since I was born. <br />
<br />
"The aid we get helps us but it isn't enough. We've been given some insulation this winter to help protect our tent from the cold, but other than that we get $260 a month in food and fuel vouchers. That is all. It runs out before the end of the month. We don’t pay rent; money is spent on buying our needs and food. If there is any more help they can provide, we would be very grateful. <br />
<br />
"We would be grateful if someone can provide us with a new tarpaulin sheet - this tent leaks and it makes our life difficult.<br />
<br />
"Sometimes I feel sad, but I got used to it. This is what God destined for me. People ask me why I don’t walk and I say I got used to it. My brothers carry me. There is also my mother, and without her I won’t be able to move. I move around in a wheelchair. My brothers push me to go out. But I don’t go out so often - I watch TV."<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    Difficult challenges for disabled Sy...jpg
  • An informal tented settlement, home to around Syrian refugee families in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon. There are around 2,000 such settlements dotted across Lebanon, and around 1.5 million Syrian refugees in the country in total. Many of them have now been living in informal settlements such as this one for over 4 years. <br />
<br />
UK aid is helping humanitarian agencies provide support to hundreds of thousands of Syrian families in Lebanon, through providing cash assistance and shelter materials. The UK is also working with the government of Lebanon and international partners to provide access to education for all children in Lebanon and to create job opportunities for Syrian refugees and the Lebanese people who are hosting them.<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    An informal tented settlement, home ...jpg
  • Hosni relocated his plastics packaging factory to Jordan in 2012 due to the conflict in Syria. His is one of seven companies in Jordan that are now eligible to export to the EU under a new trade deal that was signed in July 2016 as a result of the February Supporting Syria and the Region Conference in London. The trade agreement was a key commitment of the Jordan Compact, aiming to boost trade and investment in Jordan, creating jobs for Jordanians and Syrian refugees.<br />
<br />
The Jordan Compact is making it easier for Jordanian-based businesses to expand and trade with the EU. One element of the Compact is that Jordan committed to give work permits to 200,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan by 2020. 35,000 have so far been issued.<br />
<br />
Businesses can meet the Compact requirements as long as 25% of their workforce is Syrian within 3 years. Hosni's company has employed 49 new workers in the last 12 months, of which 27 are Syrian. The Syrian workers are employed on the same conditions as their Jordanian counterparts, and the scheme is helping Syrian refugee families to support themselves at the same time as helping them stay as close as they can to home. <br />
<br />
"Syria is like my mother and father", says Hosni. <br />
<br />
"Home is where the heart is. When there is peace in Syria we will work there again, but for now we're making it work here".<br />
<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    Hosni, a Syrian businessman who move...jpg
  • Ramadan is from Idlib in Syria. He's been disabled since birth, and is paralyzed from the waist down. He now lives with his mother, two brothers and their wider family in an informal tented settlement in Lebaon's Bekaa valley, just a few miles from the border with Syria. His nickname is 'Alqawi' - 'the strong man'. <br />
<br />
"We have been in Lebanon for 4 years", he says.<br />
<br />
"Life here is very difficult. We suffered a lot to come to Lebanon, and I suffered the most. We escaped shelling and fighting. We lost everything.<br />
<br />
"Our situation here in Lebanon is fine, but I hope western countries would help us more. I’m very grateful to Britain. Everything helps with this.<br />
<br />
"I am ill and handicapped. I had 4 operations and cannot walk. I am disabled since I was born, not because of an accident. I was born premature, and my body is small since I was born. <br />
<br />
"The aid we get helps us but it isn't enough. We've been given some insulation this winter to help protect our tent from the cold, but other than that we get $260 a month in food and fuel vouchers. That is all. It runs out before the end of the month. We don’t pay rent; money is spent on buying our needs and food. If there is any more help they can provide, we would be very grateful. <br />
<br />
"We would be grateful if someone can provide us with a new tarpaulin sheet - this tent leaks and it makes our life difficult.<br />
<br />
"Sometimes I feel sad, but I got used to it. This is what God destined for me. People ask me why I don’t walk and I say I got used to it. My brothers carry me. There is also my mother, and without her I won’t be able to move. I move around in a wheelchair. My brothers push me to go out. But I don’t go out so often - I watch TV."<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    Life as a disabled Syrian refugee in...jpg
  • Madame Shoubassi, principal at Taalabaya School, Zahle, in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. Her school now has over 500 Syrian refugee students, in addition to its core intake of 350 local Lebanese children.<br />
<br />
"Children are like plants", she says. "They will grow pretty much anywhere, but they need care, attention and the right conditions if they are to flourish and flower properly."<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    Madame Shoubassi, principal at Taala...jpg
  • Nemer and his family fled from Syria in 2015. They are now in the Azraq refugee camp, about 30 miles from the border in the Jordanian desert. <br />
<br />
Nemer explains what happened to them: "On the 31st of October, at approximately 9 at night, our neighbourhood was shelled", he says.<br />
<br />
"Most of us were asleep at the time. We went out to see what was going on. We saw explosions. It was very frightening.<br />
<br />
"Everyone decided that we had to leave right then.<br />
<br />
"We took the children and we left with nothing. Without clothes, without anything. We fled towards the desert.<br />
<br />
"We walked for approximately 30 kilometres and then a car came along and gave us a lift. We spent two days on the road towards the Jordanian border. We found shelter at the border. <br />
<br />
"We didn’t know what to expect when we first came here. We didn’t know this is how the accommodation was going to be.<br />
<br />
"We received furniture, blankets, kitchen utensils, lights and a heater. We receive periodical packages of foodstuffs and some financial assistance as well.<br />
<br />
"The most important thing is our children’s education. For the kids to go back to school and for the situation to get better. They can go to school every day here. <br />
<br />
"We were in a really bad situation before. At least here we are safe."<br />
<br />
His wife adds, "Winter clothing was the priority for the family, for our children and us to stay safe and warm.<br />
<br />
"Then school and education for the children and jobs for my husband and me.<br />
<br />
"We don’t know what the situation is in Syria at the moment. "<br />
<br />
"But we do hope to go back home to our families one day."<br />
<br />
Nemer and his family have been supported by UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and other agencies.<br />
<br />
The UK provides funding towards UNHCR's work in Jordan to give shelter, relief items and protection services to those most in need. UK support to UNHCR Jordan in 2016/17 totalled £8.5 million.<br />
<br />
The UK has committed over £2.3 billion in humanitarian aid in response to the conflict in Syria since 2012.<br />
<br />
This includes alloc
    Nemer and his family fled from Syria...jpg
  • Ramadan is from Idlib in Syria. He's been disabled since birth, and is paralyzed from the waist down. He now lives with his mother, two brothers and their wider family in an informal tented settlement in Lebaon's Bekaa valley, just a few miles from the border with Syria. His nickname is 'Alqawi' - 'the strong man'. <br />
<br />
"We have been in Lebanon for 4 years", he says.<br />
<br />
"Life here is very difficult. We suffered a lot to come to Lebanon, and I suffered the most. We escaped shelling and fighting. We lost everything.<br />
<br />
"Our situation here in Lebanon is fine, but I hope western countries would help us more. I’m very grateful to Britain. Everything helps with this.<br />
<br />
"I am ill and handicapped. I had 4 operations and cannot walk. I am disabled since I was born, not because of an accident. I was born premature, and my body is small since I was born. <br />
<br />
"The aid we get helps us but it isn't enough. We've been given some insulation this winter to help protect our tent from the cold, but other than that we get $260 a month in food and fuel vouchers. That is all. It runs out before the end of the month. We don’t pay rent; money is spent on buying our needs and food. If there is any more help they can provide, we would be very grateful. <br />
<br />
"We would be grateful if someone can provide us with a new tarpaulin sheet - this tent leaks and it makes our life difficult.<br />
<br />
"Sometimes I feel sad, but I got used to it. This is what God destined for me. People ask me why I don’t walk and I say I got used to it. My brothers carry me. There is also my mother, and without her I won’t be able to move. I move around in a wheelchair. My brothers push me to go out. But I don’t go out so often - I watch TV."<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    Ramadan, a disabled Syrian man in Le...jpg
  • Sawsan, a Syrian refugee from Damascus, who is now working as an accountant in a textile manufacturing business in Lebanon. <br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    Sawsan, a Syrian refugee from Damasc...jpg
  • Lebanese textile business owner George (centre) has employed extra Syrian and Lebanese staff since receiving a grant from a UK-supported programme aimed at helping Lebanese SME businesses to expand. George used the grant to help him purchase a state-of-the-art electronic loom, which has enabled him to increase his production from 20 embroidered quilts per day to 200 - meaning he was able to hire additional staff.<br />
<br />
Working in conjunction with Mercy Corps in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, the INTAJ (Improving Networks, Training and Jobs) programme is providing vocational skills training to Lebanese and Syrian job seekers, helping to match businesses to potential employees, as well as providing grants to small scale businesses to help them grow.<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    Supporting small businesses in Leban...jpg
  • Gassem is from Duma, on the outskirts of Damascus. He came to Lebanon in 2011, just after the start of the uprising in Syria, and is now working in a Lebanese textile factory in the Bekaa Valley, thanks to a scheme supported by UK aid and the NGO Mercy Corps. <br />
<br />
"I have been working here for 6 months. I like the work.<br />
<br />
"I had difficulties finding a good job, until I came to work here.  I worked in different jobs, sometimes there was work, other times there wasn't.<br />
<br />
"My situation is better now. Now I have been working constantly for 6 months, so I am managing. Of course I would like to go back to Syria. It is my country. Nowhere is better than one’s homeland.<br />
<br />
"But as long as I can work here, and it isn't safe to go back, then I'll stay here".<br />
<br />
UK aid is supporting Mercy Corps to create jobs in Lebanon, for Lebanese workers as well as Syrian refugees. The INTAJ (Improving Networks, Training and Jobs) programme is aimed at strengthening Lebanese communities by building stronger businesses and increasing employment.<br />
<br />
The Lebanese textile company that Gassem now works for received a grant last year to help it expand. The owner invested in a new electronic loom, helping increase his production capacity so that he needed to hire new employees. Over the past 12 months, he has taken on 6 Syrian staff and 4 Lebanese.<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    Supporting Syrian refugees and Leban...jpg
  • Nemer and his family fled from Syria in 2015. They are now in the Azraq refugee camp, about 30 miles from the border in the Jordanian desert. <br />
<br />
Nemer explains what happened to them: "On the 31st of October, at approximately 9 at night, our neighbourhood was shelled", he says.<br />
<br />
"Most of us were asleep at the time. We went out to see what was going on. We saw explosions. It was very frightening.<br />
<br />
"Everyone decided that we had to leave right then.<br />
<br />
"We took the children and we left with nothing. Without clothes, without anything. We fled towards the desert.<br />
<br />
"We walked for approximately 30 kilometres and then a car came along and gave us a lift. We spent two days on the road towards the Jordanian border. We found shelter at the border. <br />
<br />
"We didn’t know what to expect when we first came here. We didn’t know this is how the accommodation was going to be.<br />
<br />
"We received furniture, blankets, kitchen utensils, lights and a heater. We receive periodical packages of foodstuffs and some financial assistance as well.<br />
<br />
"The most important thing is our children’s education. For the kids to go back to school and for the situation to get better. They can go to school every day here. <br />
<br />
"We were in a really bad situation before. At least here we are safe."<br />
<br />
His wife adds, "Winter clothing was the priority for the family, for our children and us to stay safe and warm.<br />
<br />
"Then school and education for the children and jobs for my husband and me.<br />
<br />
"We don’t know what the situation is in Syria at the moment. "<br />
<br />
"But we do hope to go back home to our families one day."<br />
<br />
Nemer and his family have been supported by UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, and other agencies.<br />
<br />
The UK provides funding towards UNHCR's work in Jordan to give shelter, relief items and protection services to those most in need. UK support to UNHCR Jordan in 2016/17 totalled £8.5 million.<br />
<br />
The UK has committed over £2.3 billion in humanitarian aid in response to the conflict in Syria since 2012.<br />
<br />
This includes alloc
    Supporting Syrian refugees in Jordan...jpg
  • Syrian refugee children playing football near the Azraq camp in northern Jordan.<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    Syrian refugee children playing foot...jpg
  • Syrian refugee children stand amongst snow, mud and rubbish, in an informal tented settlement in Lebanon's Bekaa valley, 30 January 2017.<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    Syrian refugee children stand amongs...jpg
  • The Azraq camp for Syrian refugees in northern Jordan, 50 miles from the border with Syria. The camp is in the middle of the desert of northern Jordan.  It was developed and is operated by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in conjunction with the Government of Jordan. It first opened in April 2014. As of March 2017 it is home to over 32,000 refugees.<br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    The Azraq camp for Syrian refugees i...jpg
  • Ibrahim and Radwan, Syrian brothers who are now refugees living in an informal tented settlement in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley. <br />
<br />
Picture: Russell Watkins/DFID
    Syrian refugees living in an informa...jpg
  • "We have been living here in Lebanon for 4 years now", says Um Ali. "We get a little bit of work and try to support ourselves".<br />
<br />
"We been receiving $260 a month in cash and food vouchers support. We are just about managing. We are very grateful, to Britain and others. <br />
<br />
"All of us fled war in Syria. We lost everything and came here to Lebanon. The financial support is hardly enough. I get bread on credit, from one month to the next. <br />
<br />
"We are displaced. We are tired because of work, mud and puddles.<br />
<br />
"The door is broken and the tent leaks. Our clothes get wet because of the leak. There is just one layer of insulation on the outside, nylon. On the inside they applied this sliver layer this year to try and make it a bit warmer, but I couldn’t even buy even a tarpaulin sheet for the outside. I don’t have enough money.<br />
<br />
"I hope the situation will calm down, and we are able to go back home rather than remain displaced.<br />
<br />
"We would love to go back to our homes and homeland. If it wasn’t for the little bit of work that we are able to get and the cash support that we are trying to manage with, our life would be truly dire."
    Um Ali and her son Ramadan, Syrian r...jpg
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