FAO'S PROGRAMME IN TURKEY HELPS SYRIAN REFUGEES BUILDING RESILIENCE...

FAO’s programme in Turkey helps Syrian refugees building resilience...

Press release...

İbrahim Maoruf is 45 years old and fled Syria with his wife and four children. He has been living in a temporary accommodation centre located at Harran-Şanlıurfa for 8 years, since the conflict in Syria began, where he was able to restart farming again. Along with some 103 refugees, Ibrahim participated in a vocational and an entrepreneurship training programme as part of an FAO project building resilience via increased livelihood opportunities, funded by the Government of Japan, and implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

“I am glad to be part of this project. I learned ability and technical knowledge to grow crops more efficiently, harvest vegetables from trainings. I also improved my knowledge on forming a business by the help of the entrepreneurship trainings. I now rented small piece of farmland next to my accommodation centre to cultivate and get chance to sell the vegetables, such as eggplants, peppers to the restaurants in İstanbul’’.

By growing vegetables on the small land plot he rents next to the centre, Ibrahim serves as an inspiration for others.

“I re-started my life from scratch in Turkey. Thanks to FAO giving this opportunity to me, I am able to do my own business and build my future,” said İbrahim.

Another vocational training programme, offered by FAO in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry and UNHCR, on bakery skills targets Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities to provide employment opportunities. A mother of four, Türkan Demiröz, was among the participants.

Since 2017, the “Increase self-reliance and improve agricultural livelihoods of refugees through employment opportunities (Phase III)’’ project, co-financed by the European Union, has supported the livelihood of 1 115 Syrians under Temporary Protection Regulation and members of the host community through improving employability and enhancing decent work opportunities in several regions.

The trainings included provision of theoretical and on-the-job trainings on food and agriculture topics, as well as some crucial complementary topics such as Turkish language, labour legislation, employment services and life skills. In this respect, on the job trainings was considered a win-win model where trainees learn while they earn, and employers ensure that skills are relevant and can recruit the best trainees. FAO is also working to foster dialogue among the governmental institutions, workers and employers to improve legal framework, partnerships, quality and employment outcomes of the trainings at the local level...