Among the interviewed Syrian refugees eight were female (marital status: divorced = 1, married = 3, widow = 4) and three were male (marital status: married = 2, single = 1). The average age of the interviewed refugee was 47 (SD = 15.99) and the average household size was 4.6 (SD = 2.67). All interviewees were living in Amman at the time of the interview, but three stated that they have lived in the Zaatari camp between less than a month to 7 months early after arriving in Jordan. The interviewed key informants (F = 3, M = 3) were staff at international and national NGOs, humanitarian organizations, and United Nations (international NGOs = 3, national NGO = 1, United Nations = 1, international humanitarian organization = 1). Only one of the key informants was originally from Jordan and the rest were international. We found six main themes after coding and comparing the key informants’ interviews and refugees’ narratives: (1) gap between refugees’ expectations and reality of humanitarian services; (2) rent as a major but neglected challenge; (3) older adults: vulnerable and at the back of the queue for services; (4) mental health of adults as an overlooked need; (5) education: hard to access for extremely poor and adults; and (6) an uncertain and unplanned future.
Gap between refugees’ expectations and reality of humanitarian services
A gap was observed between refugees’ expectations of humanitarian organizations and what service providers told us about available services. In the narratives of refugees there were demands for services that were not among the named available assistance for urban refugees by key informants. For instance, refugees requested help with rent and utility costs:
We as refugees wish that Caritas or other organizations could just help us by giving us the rent or actually the bills for water and electricity or just pay the rent for one year so I can have some peace of mind, knowing that I can look forward to things and not looking at other things like rent so I can look at other things like working and providing for my family.
Golnar, a 59-year-old Syrian woman
However, key informants’ accounts suggested that services for urban refugees were limited to provision of primary education, limited health services, small cash assistance, and different training programs subjected to availability of required financial resources. Refugees seemed to be thankful for the generosity of the Jordanian government in sheltering them, but they were frustrated with humanitarian organizations as most believed they were not given the services and protection they were entitled to. For instance, Baran, a 47-year-old Syrian mother living in Amman, talked with a sense of gratitude while mentioning her living experiences in Jordan; she said, “the Jordanian government and the army were very good to us.” However, she expressed frustration with the United Nations when talking about services for Syrian refugees, explaining:
I see some people have a better situation than us, the UN helps, and some people who really need help are not being helped…. I’ve just heard that they [UN] will remove all the assistance for the refugees, the Syrians. I just wish that they would help us.
Similarly, Sabah, 53-year-old mother of six children said:
The Jordanian government understood our situation and they took us… [UNHCR] was protecting us, but now UN give us less vouchers and coupons. Why?... You [UN] said you want to protect us and now you want to send us back to the fire [Syria]? Where is the protection?
While refugees blamed humanitarian organizations for neglect in service provision, key informants proudly counted a variety of health, education, and livelihood services, which were almost exclusively for refugees residing in camps, specifically in the Zaatari and Azraq camps. Key informants named free primary schooling, basic health care services, life skill training for children, medical services, livelihood assistance such as cash for work, and cash assistance among the services for Syrian refugees in Jordan.
Health care services inside the camp are very wide… for health services there are around seven big hospitals inside Zaatari camp and bunch of clinics that run by other organizations…They [hospitals in camps] have all of the services but severe cases, for example, like heart attack or cancer or any severe health case, will be referred by the ministry [of health]... There is a contract between the hospitals in the camps and the hospitals in Jordan.
Victoria, an officer at an international humanitarian organization in Jordan
Three of the refugees in our sample had lived in the Zaatari camp upon arrival to Jordan, but all left due to an array of reasons including experiences of harassment, lack of privacy, shared bathrooms and kitchens, lack of access to cellphones, and substandard housing:
It [living in Zaatari camp] was very bad; troubles and harassment; if there were any mistakes or any troubles, they accused everyone… People live very close to each other’s tents; no privacy at all. We had to wait and in line to use the bathroom.
Fatima, a Syrian mother of five children
Key informants believed that living conditions in camps have improved in recent years and now refugees are more willing to stay in camps. Ava, a key informant working for one of the offices of the United Nations, explained, “tents were phased out quite early [in Zaatari camp]… They [refugees] are now in what we call locally Caravans, but they [Caravans] are prefabricated units.” Key informants also mentioned that refugees in camps have access to some incentives that encourage them to stay:
In order to encourage the refugees to stay in the camps, the UNHCR decreased this amount [cash assistance] for refugees living outside the camps. You know? So, for them [refugees], it’s better to stay in the camps regardless of the problems. You can get lots of benefits, you can get this [cash assistance] 23 JDs [Jordanian Dinars] per person. You can get your winter kits. Your, mmm, all other aids for free. Besides, inside the camps you have the privilege of a cash for work system.
Leila, a humanitarian worker at an international NGO
The decrease in the cash assistance for urban refugees seemed to frustrate them rather than encouraging them to live in camps. In our sample, none of the refugees expressed an intention to live in camps, citing their concerns about restrictions and lack of privacy, which seemed to remain a problem despite recent improvements in camps. Ava, a key informant working for one of the offices of the United Nations, said “there is no internet access for refugees [inside the camps], the network is jammed by the government, so there is no communication.” Noah, senior coordinator at an international NGO, explained the restrictions in leaving the camps for refugees and stated “the leave permit [permission to leave the camps] is so difficult … they accept the leave permit [in Azraq camp] only for the urgent cases and sometimes even the urgent cases are not allowed a leave permit.” Moreover, key informants told us that the new refugee housing units, Caravans, still lack bathrooms and kitchens; therefore, refugees must share cooking facilities, toilets, and bathrooms.
Lack of knowledge about available services was clear in the narratives of refugees. Most of the refugees in our study believed that “others” receive more and better services and the majority believed that humanitarian organizations withhold services from them, which resulted in frustration. Refugees referred to what they had seen in social media or heard from their friends as a source for these claims. Golnar, a 59-year-old Syrian woman, said “we see on the social media and websites people getting this and getting that, getting help from all these organizations, and us getting none, and this makes me feel sorry for myself and about my living situation.” Zara, a 47-year-old Syrian woman, stated “we are the people that they refused to help in the UN, we are very patient, and we went through a lot.”
Rent as a major but neglected challenge
In refugees’ narratives, high cost of rent was mentioned in almost all interviews as the most important challenge of living in Jordan. For instance, Golnar, a 59-year-old Syrian woman who fled Damascus, said “the worst thing that troubles us is the house rents.” In order to afford rent, refugees in our study commonly lived with extended family members in overcrowded, old, and sub-standard housing. Some had to do chores for the landlords to cover part of the rent, and many had to borrow money or sell their belongings to avoid eviction.
We are three families living under one roof … I sleep on the floor as well as my grandchild, and for the youngsters [her children], they sleep on the beds… the rent is paid by all of us, we just collect as much money as we can, and we pay, and sometimes we can’t even pay the full rent, so we must pay part of it, and sometimes I fall in debt with some people… it’s just very hard to pay rent here… I actually sold a lot of my personal items and a lot of my personal items have been sold so I can pay the rent and that’s how we pay the rent, just by borrowing money and selling items.
Golnar, a 59-year-old Syrian woman
In replying to a question about major needs of Syrian refugees, two key informants briefly acknowledged rent as a challenge with no reference to a long-term plan to address the problem. Arya, a key informant working at a local humanitarian organization, said “sometimes the UN gives them vouchers for food; they try sometimes to sell these vouchers to pay the rent.” This is concerning as in several interviews, refugees told us that they cannot afford to eat enough and have experienced hunger. Another key informant stated:
If they are eligible, every beginning of the month I think there is a SMS from UNCHR that says we have deposited in your account the amount of 100 JD, equivalent to 140 U.S. dollars more or less. The person in charge, let’s say the head of the family, the father or the mother will go to an ATM machine of a bank that UNCHR works with and using the eye-print, he or she can withdraw the money that was deposited into their bank accounts... This money is mainly used to pay for the house rent because that’s the bigger concern, the main concern for the families.
James, an officer at an international NGO in Jordan
This multi-purpose cash assistance is designed to give refugees a choice in how to use the money, but it seemed insufficient to cover the rent cost. For instance, Ghufran, a 36-year-old single man from Damascus told us that he is paying JD 150 per month for his room. Most refugees had no contract for their housing, which put them in a more vulnerable position. Refugees reported experiences of harassment from landlords and one refugee explained that she became homeless after her landlord took all her belongings for the unpaid rent and left her in the street.
Older adults: vulnerable and at the back of the queue for services
Older adult refugees (age 60 and above) were far more vulnerable in the analyzed narratives. We had three older adult refugees in our sample, Nabil 76 (M), Darya 65 (F), and Arzu 60, (F), they all lived with multiple health issues and spent most of their time at home, isolated from society. Nabil, a 76-year old Syrian man, stated “I have a back problem and everything else…My wife is sick. She has heart problems and spasms... they [health service providers] took three hundred [JD] from me for three shots for my wife’s treatment... How can I pay for my rent and medication?” Older adult refugees rarely reported receiving any humanitarian assistance, and it seemed that in the absence of family support, they were dealing with their problems alone.
My husband passed away here in Jordan, and we sent him back. Now I live by myself under the stairs, I don’t have even one penny… I don’t have a heater or blankets… I don’t have anybody here. I live under the stairs. My situation is very bad. And this winter, the neighbors brought me a big plate [of food]. I don’t have a bathroom… I don’t receive anything from the UN, no assistance whatsoever… I don’t have a house, I live under the stairs. She let me stay [under her stairs] for one month, the neighbor. Only one month… After my husband died, I didn’t have anything. We lived in hospitals pretty much. After that, I didn’t have any more money. The man that we used to stay with before, he [the landlord] took everything. All I came out with was the clothes that I was wearing.
Darya, a 65-year-old refugee widow
Most of the services or plans for refugees mentioned by key informants were focused on refugee children and younger adults. Almost no reference was made by key informants to any programs that specifically served older adult refugees in Jordan. Some of the general services for refugees also seemed difficult to access for older adults. For instance, the UNHCR cash assistance requires registration, a cellphone to receive notice of payment, and physical mobility as the cash is only available using eye-print at specific ATM machines.
Mental health of adults as an overlooked need
The majority of adult refugees in our sample had lost their belongings in Syria, most had lost a friend or a family member in the war, and some had friends or family members detained in their home country. For instance, Golnar, a 59-year-old Syrian woman, said “my son died in the war, so I got my grandchildren into Jordan.” Moreover, interviewed refugees referred to multiple trauma experiences in their journeys from Syria to Jordan. For example, Asmaa, a 23-year-old widow, said “they [Syrian armed forces] took my husband and started bombing us, my son was 30 days old… I couldn’t bring anything, I couldn’t bring diapers or milk, there was no way for me to feed my child.” She added “they [government forces in Syria] violated women… we saw so many things; ugly things; … they were very dangerous; they [Syrian armed forces] were holding knives and even the men were too scared of them.”
Signs of hopelessness, trouble sleeping, and frustration were common in the narratives of refugees. For instance, Ghufran, a 36-year-old single Syrian man, said “I used to think a lot in the past about my goals, but now… I don’t like to dream anymore.” Zara, a 47-year-old Syrian mother, said ‘he [her son] is supposed to be in school but there is a problem. He didn’t sleep before and now he started sleeping.” Ahmad, a 31-year-old father of two, said “I see sometimes she [my mother] breaks, when I wake up, I see her crying and she is talking to herself.”
Key informants referred to mental health services for children and teenagers, but healthcare services for adult refugees seemed to be based on self-referral. Syrian refugees in our sample were consumed by concerns about their families’ basic needs such as shelter, food, and education for children, and, consequently, mental health or mental health services were not a priority for them. Nancy, a key informant working for an international humanitarian organization, said “I didn't meet anybody who came here for mental health problems. I know that there are people who are sick … but I rarely came across people for you know trauma and things like that.”
Key informants reported high levels of resilience among Syrian refugees in Jordan despite the past trauma experiences and hardships of living in exile. Noah, senior coordinator at an international NGO, said “you can see how resilient they are… despite all of the things, they decided to continue living. They started opening their shops. They started painting their Caravans. They even started small gardens around the Caravans.” Key informants named available services provided by humanitarian organizations as the most important protective factors for refugees in Jordan. However, refugees referred to their families, specifically their children, and religious beliefs as their source of resilience. For instance, Fatima, a 32-year-old Syrian mother, said, “My family and I together, that’s the most important thing.” Ahmed, a 31-year-old father, said “my children keep me going.” In multiple interviews refugees stated that a higher power would solve their problems and some mentioned that their beliefs help them to manage their stress. For instance, Zara, a 47-year-old Syrian mother, said “God’s power is what keeps us strong” and Golnar, a 59-year-old Syrian grandmother, said “I am a very religious person, anything that I feel challenged by, anything every day, I just go to God and that would make me feel spiritually relaxed and ready to face the days.”
Education: hard to access for extremely poor and adults
In the interviews that we collected, educational programs were among the limited available capacity building services for Syrian refugees and mainly focused on children. Almost all key informants in our sample indicated that some sort of educational program is provided by their organization for refugee children. Similar to other services, educational programs were more accessible in refugee camps for Syrian children.
They [schools] are available in camps. It [Zaatari camp] has close to thirty schools inside the camp. All of them [schools] are managed and run by the Ministry of Education and the teachers are recruited by the Ministry of Education, the curriculum is the same as any other Jordanian school.
Ava, an officer in one of the offices of the United Nations in Jordan
The majority of refugees that we interviewed stated that their children were attending school in Jordan; however, some had children not in attendance. Key informants named early marriage, poverty, disability, child labor, and lack of familiarity with the education system in Jordan as main reasons for school dropouts among Syrian children. Refugees referred to fees associated with education as the main barriers preventing them from sending their children to school. Yara, whose five children were collecting plastic and cans in the streets of Amman to support their family at the time of interview, explained:
“If I register my children in a school in Mafraq, I have to pay 20 JD for each to [take] the bus. I don’t even have enough money to feed them; how can I pay for transportation? In the beginning, two of my children registered in the school, [they attended] for two months and then they quit.”
Yara, a young mother from Syria
Some organizations had targeted programs to prevent school dropouts by providing incentives, covering transportation expenses, and delaying child marriage. Moreover, some had educational programs for out-of-school children to help them return to school. However, the targeted programs mentioned in the interviews were small in scale and subject to availability of seasonal funds. Key informants told us that most of the funds that they receive for Syrian refugees are short-term, preventing them from long-term planning in Jordan. Nancy, a key informant working for an international humanitarian organization, stated ‘they [international humanitarian organizations] were going to cut schooling [for Syrian refugees] because of lack of funding …it’s a problem you know that probably year by year, maybe semester by semester, they have to see if they are going to have funds.”
Some refugees also expressed concerns about the quality of the education in Jordan. Fatima, a 47-year-old refugee who fled from Daraa in Syria, said “the education for the kids is free; but I don’t see them getting or understanding… we enrolled them there [in the school] and after the Jordanian education program, I don’t think they have anything proper, or convenient. It’s [the education] not official.”
Although the level of education was generally low among the adult refugees in our sample (high school, except in the case of one refugee who had a college degree), educational opportunities for adults were rarely mentioned in the interviews with key informants and when mentioned, these programs were part of small-scale projects or projects with short-term funding. For instance, Noah, a senior coordinator at an international NGO, said “higher education is not [free]. However, each year, the UNHCR offers scholarships for Syrian refugees. To be honest, it’s a shame; 45 scholarships for the millions or so. It’s very limited.”
An uncertain and unplanned future
On average, refugees in our sample have been in Jordan for 5 years and none of them had expected their exile to last this long. Therefore, most refugees did not invest in a long-term plan for staying in Jordan, instead they were constantly hopeful for the situation to change. Golnar, a 59-year-old Syrian grandmother, said “I was supposed to come to Jordan for one week from Syria, but it got extended from 2013 until now in 2017.” Noah, a key informant further explained this situation:
Three years ago, they [refugees] were just waiting to get back to Syria. They were expecting the war will end soon... So, they were less interested in education, less interested in work, less interested in everything…They somehow lost hope that the war will end soon. And they start thinking about settlement, more or less about settlement. You know? About getting a job, about educating their children, about sending them to the cities.
Noah, a senior coordinator at an international NGO
The majority of refugees in our study did not have a plan to return to Syria or stay in Jordan, instead they were hoping for resettlement in a Western country in an uncertain future with a dream for a better life. Most of them stated that they have been waiting for years for an interview or approval for resettlement in a third country, but none knew how much longer they would have to wait. James, one of the key informants in our study, said “when we interview them [Syrian refugees], the majority would like to emigrate, to go to Europe, to go to the U.S., Canada or Australia” and later added that resettlement to one of these countries can take years and Syrian refugees in Jordan have a slim chance for this option. A Syrian refugee whose request for resettlement in a third country was rejected told us:
I would love to go to America or any other European country, and I’ve tried, I’m waiting for an answer, but we don’t know yet, but we’ll see, hopefully it’s all good to go to America. I’d also love to go to Canada or Australia, or Copenhagen, mostly because of my English, you know, I don’t want to have to learn like French… I just want to go to a country that speaks English and I can just move in with the society and just have a better life.
Ghufran, a 36-year-old single Syrian man
Few refugees in our sample expressed an interest in return, but similar to those who wanted to resettle in another country, they did not know when or how. Darya, a 65-year-old homeless Syrian widow, said “I want to stay here and see what happens… if the situation in Syria gets better, yes [I want to return to Syria]. Who doesn’t want to go back to her country?” Surprisingly, Arya, a key informant working for a local humanitarian organization, told us ‘recently many Syrians go back to Syria as they [government of Jordan] opened the borders. It is not still completely safe in Syria, but many Syrians went back there.”
Key informants believed that uncertainty about the future is one of the main challenges for Syrian refugees in Jordan. For instance, James, an officer at an international NGO in Jordan, said “the main concern here is uncertainty, they [refugees] are uncertain, they don’t know what tomorrow is having for them” and Nicole, a key informant working for an international humanitarian organization, added “what’s gonna happen in Syria, what’s next in Syria, it’s confusing them [Syrian refugees] in forming their decision for the future.” Key informants also told us that the majority of Syrian refugees in Jordan have limited access to transparent information about the situation in Syria.