Providing green jobs through waste management activities in Zaatari camp

02/01/2024

Jamilah is a 42-year-old Syrian refugee who lives with her five sons and daughters in Zaatri camp. She moved to Zaatri camp with her family in 2013 to find peace after the death of her husband during the Syrian crisis.

She was one of the many Syrian refugees who had no source of income but humanitarian aid. She was also working in the nearby farms for very low pay but had no other opportunity since the work opportunities were very scarce, especially for women.

“I used to come back home very tired and start thinking about house chores and cooking, it was exhausting,” said Jamilah.

Being the only provider for her family, Jamilah was always exhausted since her work starts at 5:00 a.m. and she had to walk very long distances from and to her work. In addition, she was trying to provide good life conditions for her family, but it was very hard since they were living in a very small caravan and were already in debt.

The situation changed when Jamilah joined, along with other refugees, FAO’s project in the camp for waste management and producing compost. The project, supported by the European Union, has implemented an initiative to create green jobs around waste valorization activities.

“I can’t wait for the morning to come to go to work because it’s full of enthusiasm,” said Jamilah.

She believes that her work is a great addition to herself, her family, and the community. She works in categorizing the waste and learned that waste is very useful for many reasons such as food leftovers can be turned into fertilizers and plastic can be reused.

“People started seeing me differently, I became a fighting self-reliant woman,” said Jamilah.

Jamilah is happier now since she repaid her debt and purchased two extra caravans to use as a bedroom and a kitchen. She was also able to purchase kitchenware and a fridge, besides creating a study area for her children to be able to do their homework in comfort.

“I hope the project continues and grows so that it can create more job opportunities because many people would like to be part of the project,” she added.