Islamic Relief has released the latest update on its work to provide for the basic needs of vulnerable families living in Jordan.
Support for orphaned children
Nearly 600 orphaned children in Baq’a, Irbid, Mafraq and Amman are now supported by our one-to-one sponsorship programme. The scheme provides a regular allowance to provide for their basic needs, and to enable the children to attend school.
In Baqa’a camp, orphaned children aged seven to ten are also benefitting from a specialist education project. Altogether, 150 children are participating in classes in English, Arabic and mathematics, with the project also enabling 25 working children to resume their schooling.
Food for poor Jordanian families
Islamic Relief is distributing World Food Programme (WFP) food parcels to 42,900 Jordanians. Poor and low-income families are targeted by the two-month project, which began in September, to provide a range of essential food staples.
Meeting the basic needs of Syrian refugees
The UNHCR estimates that this year, the number of registered Syrian refugees in Jordan will top 1.4 million. With increasing numbers of people fleeing war-torn Syria, the sustained influx into Jordan is straining already limited resources. As well as supporting host Jordanian communities, Islamic Relief is also delivering vital support to ease the hardship faced by refugee families.
In the first six months of the year alone, we distributed almost 209,000 food vouchers and e-cards, enabling families to secure essential nutrition. Over 15,000 clothing vouchers were also provided, as well as thousands of basic items including blankets, mattresses, and hygiene kits.
We covered the cost of rented accommodation for four months, for 490 of the most vulnerable families in Irbid. We have also enabled 1,075 children to enrol in local schools and in just five months, we provided medical treatment to over 9,700 people.
Breaking the cycle of poverty
Our conditional cash programme – which is supported with funding from DFID-UKAID – has been helping vulnerable children like Nawwar to rebuild their lives and look forward to brighter futures.
“During the three years of interrupted schooling, we used to live in dread,” said Nawwar, 15, who is originally from the Syrian city of Homs. “The sum of money we are receiving from the donor enabled me and my three sisters to return to school.
“We are receiving cognitive education, since we have been out of school for so long that we find it difficult to concentrate. The teachers are like our elder sisters. Such measures will enable us to re-join regular education later on.
The programme provides financial support to parents of vulnerable Syrian and Jordanian children to encourage them to re-join school after being out of education for some time. It also identifies the core competencies of each child, and provides psychosocial services to help children to adjust to their new lives. So far, 646 families have benefitted.
“With new friends to play with, this is very good sign to start our new lives. Security and peace is what we are looking for. New hope and a new tomorrow came with the caregivers. A big thank you to all of you.”
Islamic Relief has helped vulnerable people in Jordan since 1997, and works in Syria, Jordan, and nearby countries to respond to the conflict, which has become the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st century. Please continue to support our much-needed emergency programmes: donate to our Syria crisis appeal today.
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