Six years into exile: The challenges and coping strategies of non-camp Syrian refugees in Jordan and their host communities

Since 2011, CARE International in Jordan has been working alongside the Government of Jordan, the United Nations, and other international humanitarian organizations to respond to the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan. CARE’s work has expanded over the last six years to engage directly with urban and peri-urban Syrian refugees, Syrians in Jordan’s camps, and Jordanian host communities in the most heavily affected governorates across Jordan.

CARE has carried out yearly assessments of the needs and coping strategies of these various groups, beginning with a survey of Syrian refugees in Amman in 2012. This year, the assessment has grown to include data from four governorates in Jordan, researching the needs and coping strategies of Syrian urban refugees and Jordanian host communities. In April 2016, Riyada Consulting and Training was contracted to carry out CARE Jordan’s 2016 assessment, callecting qualitative and quantitative data on the needs, coping strategies, and perceptions of Syrian urban refugees and vulnerable Jordanian host communities residing in Amman, Irbid, Mafraq, and Zarqa (including Azraq town).

This report contains seven sections, beginning with an introduction to the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan, responses from the international community and Jordanian government, and the role of CARE International in Jordan. The second section provides an in-depth explanation of the research methodology utilized throughout the research assignment. Following is a full description of the assessment’s main findings, divided into priority needs and vulnerabilities, livelihood needs and coping strategies, humanitarian assistance, and community relations. The next sections provide the assessment’s main conclusions and key recommendations for various stakeholders. The last section analyzes and compares all available data for key indicators from the past three years of assessments.