“It was an excellent experience. I loved this [soup kitchen] project and I hope I will be crowned with a certificate that I can use in the future. For me, it is the merging of cultures and traditions between the hosting and refugee societies.” 

The Community Support Project implemented by Seyhan Municipality in Türkiye’s Adana province has been very successful in promoting social cohesion, particularly among Turkish women who participated in the project.

The majority of the women who participated in activities aimed at promoting social cohesion between refugees and members of the host community previously approached each other with high levels of suspicion and prejudice. As they live in different districts of the city, Syrian refugees and host community members had limited opportunities to interact and develop neighbourly relations.

Almost all Turkish women reported that they continued communicating with Syrian women even after the project activities had ended, and that they had formed new friendships with members of the Syrian community. The experience of Seyhan Municipality with social cohesion projects played a crucial role in achieving this positive change. An overwhelming majority of the women confirmed that participating in municipal activities provided a common space for Turkish and Syrian women to coexist, share their stories and problems as women, and develop strategies to cope with their challenges.

“Through the [mural painting] activity I participated in, some of the Syrian students and I got to know each other well and even exchanged numbers. As a result, we started to communicate every day and some of our friendships became stronger like the one I formed with a Syrian girl named Ghufran. We still communicate to this day, and she has become one of my very best friends” says Sondos who participated in mural painting as part of the extracurricular activities in Jordan supported by Qudra 2.

The extracurricular activities had a direct impact on social cohesion. Children participated in mixed-nationality group activities, where a safe space is created for building new friendships between the groups, which has positive spill-over effects for parents. Syrian and Jordanian students made positive contacts that continued outside of the school by forging friendships, developing a sense of belonging, building trust and collaborating with members of other community members, refugees and host community members respectively.

Qudra 2 supports youth and children through extracurricular sports and cultural activities to foster sense of inclusion and belonging, equality and social cohesion and to feel accepted and integrated into their communities.

Ürdünlü Genç, TMEÖ’de Tasarım Hayalinin Peşinde

19 yaşındaki Ürdünlü Abdelraheem Halawah’ın azim konusunda bize öğreteceği çok şey var. Abelraheem ortaokul sınavlarını geçemediğinde hayal kırıklığına uğradı ama cesareti kırılmadı.

Yemek yapmayı seven Abdelraheem internetten eğitim fırsatlarını araştırmaya başladı. Abdelraheem şunları söylüyor: “İnternet üzerinden burs aramaya başladım. İstihdam için Eğitim-Ürdün (EFE-Ürdün) tarafından yayınlanan bir Facebook bağlantısı üzerinden başvuru yaptım”.

“Eylül 2021’de programa kabul edildiğimi öğrendiğimde mutluluktan şaşkına döndüm. Kendimi kanıtlamak ve geliştirmek için bir şansım olduğunu fark ettim. Benim için bir şeylerin değişeceğini biliyordum”.

Abelraheem’in hayali, ailesine destek olmak için pasta şefi olmak. Tatlı yapımı kursunda teorik ve pratik derslerini geçti. Qudra 2’nin iş temelli öğrenme (İTÖ) yaklaşımı kapsamındaki uygulamalı eğitimini Le Royal Hotel and Resorts’de tamamlayan Abdelraheem, buradaki sıkı çalışması ile İK müdürü olan Faris Ghouka’yı etkilemeyi başardı. Eğitiminin sonunda pastane tatlı asistanı olarak tam zamanlı bir iş teklifi aldı.

“Abdelraheem’in potansiyelini gördüm ve ona otelimizin tatlı mutfağında tam zamanlı bir iş teklif ettim. Artık, sektörde büyüme ve gelişme potansiyeline sahip bir çalışanımız. Le Royal Hotels and Resorts olarak, gençlere ve yeni mezunlara iş temelli öğrenme fırsatları sunuyoruz. Çünkü gençlerin bugünün işgücü piyasasında ihtiyaç duydukları becerileri edinmeleri için gerçek bir çalışma ortamında deneyim sahibi olmaları gerektiğine inanıyoruz”.

-Faris Ghouka, Le Royal Hotels & Resorts İK Müdürü

Ortaokul sınavlarını geçememenin ne anlama geldiğini bilen Abdelraheem’in arayış içerisinde olanlara mesajı var: “Israrcı, hatta bazen inatçı olun. Hedefler ve hayaller ulaşılabilirdir ve hayal etmek oraya ulaşmanıza yardımcı olur” diyen Abdelraheem, sözlerini şöyle sürdürüyor: “Bu burstan sonra olmak istediğim yere bir adım daha yaklaştım. Bu sadece başlangıç, ancak Qudra 2 tarafından desteklenen burs olmasaydı, işlerin nasıl sonuçlanabileceği hakkında hiçbir fikrim yok”.

Enabel, Qudra 2 programı kapsamında, hükümet, eğitim sağlayıcıları ve özel işletmeler dahil olmak üzere mesleki eğitim ve öğretim sektörü paydaşlarına da danışarak Ürdün’de bir İş Temelli Öğrenme (İTÖ) modeli geliştirdi. İTÖ, özel sektör işletmeleri ile iş birliği içinde gerçek dünya ortamlarında uygulamalı mesleki eğitim unsuru sunmaktadır.

Enabel’de Müdahale Yöneticisi olan Zaid Al-Qaisi şunu belirtiyor: “Müdahalenin hedefi, özellikle Suriyeli ve dezavantajlı Ürdünlü genç ve kadınlar için istihdam olanaklarını iyileştirmektir”.

Ürdün’deki Teknik ve Mesleki Eğitim Öğrencisi Hem Belirsizlikle Hem de Fırsatla Karşı Karşıya

Alaa’, yoluna çıkan engellerin onu durdurmasına izin vermeyecekti. “Liseyi bitirmemek benim için bir engel değildi” diyen Alaa’ şöyle devam ediyor: “Aslında bu benim profesyonel bir terzi olma yolundaki maceramın sadece başlangıcıydı.”

18 yaşındaki Suriyeli genç Alaa’ Al Haraki, bize, dikiş dikme kariyerindeki heyecan verici yolculuğunu ve bu yolda aşmak zorunda olduğu engelleri anlatıyor.

Alaa’, yoluna çıkan engellerin onu durdurmasına izin vermeyecekti. “Liseyi bitirmemek benim için bir engel değildi. Aslında bu benim profesyonel bir terzi olma yolundaki maceramın sadece başlangıcıydı. Çok fazla kuşku ve dirençle karşılaşmasına rağmen Alaa’ cesaretini kaybetmedi. “Büyükannem benim ilham kaynağımdı. Bana nasıl dikiş dikileceğini öğretti ve yeteneklerimi geliştirmem için beni motive etti”.

Alaa’ ve ailesi Ürdün’e 2011 yılında, Suriye’deki çatışmaların başlangıcında, büyük bir belirsizliğin ortasında gelmiş. Alaa’, yıllarca Zaatari mülteci kampında yaşadıktan sonra inisiyatifi eline aldı ve Qudra 2 programının bir ortağı olan Enabel’in desteğinde Norveç Mülteci Konseyi (NRC) tarafından desteklenen eğitime başvurdu. Alaa başvuru ile ilgili olarak şunları söylüyor: “Başvurumun kabul edildiğini haber veren telefonu aldığımda şanslı günümdeydim”. Terzilik konusunda başlangıç düzeyinde mesleki eğitim için başvuru yaptı. Sunulan imkân sayesinde tüm derslerinde başarılı oldu. Başarısı, Qudra 2 programı tarafından sunulan kursun ikinci aşamasına kaydolması için onu cesaretlendirdi.

Bu süre zarfında Alaa’, ailesinin de desteğini aldı: “Büyükannem, engeller ne olursa olsun beni başından sonuna kadar destekledi. Bana, kendime inandığım kadar belki de daha fazla inandı ve ona sonsuza kadar minnettar kalacağım. Mezun olduktan sonra, onun kampın karşı köşesinde bulunan küçük terzi dükkanında çalıştım. Ayak işlerine koşturmak ve etrafta bazı ev işleri yapmak dışında bana birçok teknik görev vermeye başladı.

Alaa’, büyükannesinin dükkanında çalışmanın yanı sıra, ailesini geçindirecek parayı kazanmak için aynı anda hem çalışmak hem de okumak zorundaydı.

Alaa’ kendine güvenen ve yetenekli bir terzi olmakla birlikte, bu alandaki bilgi birikimi ve yetkinliklerini artırmak için ileri düzey burslara ve programlara başvurmayı planlıyor. “Yarı vasıflı düzeyinden vasıflı bir eğitim düzeyine geçmek için üçüncü aşamaya başvuracağım. Geliştirdiğim becerilerle bir sonraki adıma hazır olduğumdan eminim”.

Jordanian Youth Pursues his Design Dream in TVET

Abdelraheem Halawah, a 19-year-old Jordanian, has much to teach us about perseverance. Not passing his secondary school examinations was no reason not to pursue his dreams.

When he did not pass his secondary school examinations, Abelraheem was disappointed but not disheartened.

Because he loves cooking, Abdelraheem started researching training opportunities online. “I started looking for scholarships over the internet. I applied through a Facebook link published by Education for Employment-Jordan (EFE-Jordan)”.

“When I learned that I had been accepted into the programme in September 2021, I was overwhelmed with happiness. I realised that I had a chance to prove and improve myself. I knew things were going to change for me”, shared Abdelraheem.

Abelraheem’s dream is to become a pastry chef to support his family. He passed his theoretical and practical courses in the sweets-making course. His hard work impressed Faris Ghouka, HR manager at Le Royal Hotel and Resorts, where Abdelraheem conducted his practical training as part of Qudra 2’s work-based learning (WBL) approach. At the end of his training, he was offered a full-time job as a pastry dessert assistant.

“I saw potential in Abdelraheem and offered him a full-time job at our hotel’s sweets kitchen. Today, he’s an employee with potential to grow and thrive in the sector. Le Royal Hotels and Resorts provides work-based learning opportunities to youth and fresh graduates because we believe that youth must have the experience in a real working environment to further acquire the skills they need for today’s labour market”.

-Faris Ghouka, HR Manager at Le Royal Hotels & Resorts

Reflecting on what it means not to pass his secondary school examinations, Abdelraheem has a message for those searching for direction: “be persistent, sometimes even stubborn: Goals and dreams are achievable, and dreaming will help you get there”, said Abdelraheem, adding, “after this scholarship, I am a step closer to where I want to be. This is just the start, however, without the scholarship supported by Qudra 2, I have no idea how things might have turned out”.

As part of the Qudra 2 programme, Enabel developed a Work-Based Learning (WBL) model in Jordan in consultation with vocational education and training sector stakeholders, including the government, training providers and private enterprises. WBL introduces an element of practical vocational training in real-world environments in collaboration with private sector enterprises.

“The objective of the intervention is to enhance employment outcomes, particularly for Syrian and vulnerable Jordanian youth and women”, notes Zaid Al-Qaisi, Enabel’s Intervention Manager.

Technical and vocational Student in Jordan Faces Uncertainty – But Also Opportunity

Alaa’ was not going to let bumps in the road hold him back: “Not finishing high school was not a setback for me”, he said. “In fact, it was just the beginning of my adventure of becoming a professional tailor.”

Alaa’ Al Haraki, an 18-year-old young Syrian, tells us of his exciting journey into his career in sewing and the obstacles he had to overcome along the way.

Alaa’ was not going to let bumps in the road hold him back. “Not finishing high school was not a setback for me; in fact, it was just the beginning of my adventure of becoming a professional tailor”. Though he encountered much doubt and resistance, Alaa’ was not discouraged. “My grandmother was my inspiration: she taught me how to sew and motivated me to develop my talents”.

Alaa’ and his family arrived in Jordan in 2011, at the start of the Syrian conflict, amid huge uncertainty. After years of living in the Zaatari refugee camp, Alaa’ took the initiative and applied for training offered by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) with the support of Enabel, a partner in the Qudra 2 programme. “It was my lucky day when I received a call saying that my application had been accepted”, said Alaa’. He applied for the first level of vocational education training in tailoring. Given the opportunity, he aced all his classes. His success inspired him to enrol in the second level of the course provided by the Qudra 2 programme.

During this time, Alaa’ had the support of his family, too: “My grandmother supported me the whole way, no matter what the obstacle was. She believed in me as much as, if not more than, I believed in myself, and I will be eternally grateful to her. After graduating, I worked at her little tailor shop across the corner in the camp. She started assigning me many technical tasks besides running errands and doing some chores around the shop”.

Besides working at his grandmother’s shop, Alaa’ had to work and study simultaneously to earn some money to support his family.
While Alaa’ has become a confident and competent tailor, he has plans to apply for advanced scholarships and programmes to extend his knowledge and competencies in the field. “I will apply for level three to shift from the semi-skilled to a skilled level of education. I am sure that with the skills I’ve developed, I’m ready for this next step”.

After years of living in the Zaatari refugee camp, Mays El Reem had high hopes of gaining the knowledge, certification, and financial independence to become a productive member of society. “Women can be professional makeup artists; women can be anything they want, as long as they set their mind to it,” she says.

Mays El Reem Al Bakir is a 26-year-old Syrian refugee who was displaced from her hometown at 16. When the conflict broke out in 2011, she had no choice but to adapt to the new challenges facing her and her family.

“I was in denial at first. I was still processing that our home was demolished, and we had nowhere to go! I had to leave my family and friends behind. We had to adjust to life in the Zaatari refugee camp in northern Jordan. It was not an easy chapter in my life”, says Mays El Reem.

After years of living in the Zaatari refugee camp, Mays El Reem hoped to become a productive community member. She wanted to develop the knowledge and skills that would lead to a certification and help her to find work and financial independence. The Qudra 2 programme supported her with a scholarship that provided her with that opportunity.

Mays El Reem heard about the Qudra 2 programme scholarships from her friend in 2020. She applied without hesitation and was accepted. “I chose the beauty programme, as I wanted to be part of something new and challenging”, Mays El Reem said, adding, “women can be professional makeup artists, women can be anything they want as long as they set their minds to it”.

The training course she applied to was provided by the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), supported by Enabel, a partner in the Qudra 2 programme.

Along with the training courses in Jordan, Qudra 2 promotes the Work-Based Learning (WBL) methodology to help beneficiaries acquire new competencies based on today’s labour market needs. The WBL methodology connects participants with workplaces to ensure the experience of a real-life dynamic work environment.

Though she chose marriage over completing her secondary education, Mays El Reem remained determined to develop her skills at every opportunity. Her story continues, “My husband was my rock: he promised to support me to continue my education once we had settled in our own home. When we did, he bought me all the books and stationery to prepare me for the big exam. Months later, I sat the secondary examinations again and obtained my certificate despite the challenges and the fact that I had a 5-month-old daughter to take care of”.

Mays El Reem also benefitted from a life skills course, which helped her set priorities and long-term goals and use her time effectively. “This course made me a better person and a self-motivated thinker. I became more positive and improved my mental health”.

After completing the course, Mays El Reem received funds from a UN organisation, which allowed her to open her own beauty salon. “I learned a lot by working independently. People around the refugee camp started trusting me and referring to me as their first resource for any beauty tip”.

After finishing her scholarship with the Qudra 2 programme, Mays El Reem was asked to train beneficiaries of the beauty programme at the NRC training centre in the Zaatari refugee camp. “When I received that phone call from the NRC team announcing the good news, I felt this was the start of a new phase in my life”.

“My second milestone is to sign up for higher-level training programmes in the beauty and makeup domain. I want to build my capacity further and stay on top of the latest international trends. I usually watch makeup and beauty tutorials online when I put the kids to sleep to keep up to date with the latest styles in the industry. I need to stay looped in to make it to the top, fingers crossed,” concluded Mays El Reem.

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“My dream was to become a professional chef, so I went to Aqaba to work in a hotel. Unfortunately, I did not find any vacancies, and since I did not have the experience to work in the kitchen, I had to work in room service and cleaning. After one month, the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The hotel was closed, and I was let go. I tried hard during the pandemic to work in other hotels, but the increased number of COVID-19 cases in Jordan made it difficult for anyone to find a job. Therefore, I decided to re-study for my high school exams, but deep inside, I still dreamt of being a distinguished chef.”

The pandemic presented numerous challenges, but Malek overcame these through the skills development training provided by Qudra 2 and the local partner EFE-Jordan.

Malek continues: “A friend told me that the Qudra 2 programme provides theoretical and practical dough maker training at the Ammon Applied University College, followed by actual training in a restaurant. I felt that it is still possible to make my dream come true, so I applied to join the training. And today I have mastered making ten types of bread and many different types of pastries. I also learned about many new electrical tools and how to handle them, such as mixers, coffee makers, etc. I was also introduced to new kinds of bread that I was not familiar with before, such as gluten-free bread. Now I see that my dream is just around the corner. I finished the two-month training course at Ammon College, and I started my actual training in Beijing, a Chinese restaurant in Amman, where we make two types of bread, one from potatoes. This was the first time I made bread from potatoes, and my supervisor at work noticed my enthusiasm, so he encouraged me to learn more and started to teach me how to make Chinese food. I believe that my training in a well-known restaurant will enrich my resume and help me find a good job when the training period ends”.