Syrian Refugees Opportunities Towards Resilience. Business Coaching Teaching About “Market Strategy, Self-Confidence And Life / Iraq

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With Relief International and RDPP, Abdul Rahman, a Syrian refugee in Kurdistan, Iraq, looks to learn new business skills in order to join the workforce and open a dairy shop. Relief International (RI) through the RDPP funded Syrian Refugees' Opportunities towards Resilience (SROR) program aims to increase socio-economic resilience of Syrian refugees, IDPs, and vulnerable host communities through the development of business skills and market awareness in Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq. Given the complexity of the protracted crisis in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) and surrounding regions, it is necessary to address both social and economic challenges affecting communities in need. RI’s program approach focuses not only on the improvement of livelihoods for Syrian refugees in camp and non-camp settings, but on building resilience and social cohesion among Syrian refugees, IDPs, and host communities. The Kurdistan Regional Government’s policy grants legal residence status to IDP and refugees who are legally permitted to work in the KRI once they receive official documentation. Despite this welcoming policy, IDPs and refugees face barriers in obtaining employment within their new communities. This is in part due to limited access to information on existing and potential opportunities, lack of skills, limited start-up capital to engage in self-employment, and difficulties in registering and legalizing businesses.

Abdul Rahman, 21, came to Erbil 5 years ago from his hometown of Aleppo Syria. As young a Syrian refugee living in the KRI, Abdul Rahman continually faced challenges in finding work and employment. Selected by RI to benefit from business coaching, Abdul Rahman, “learned self-confidence, business plans, and even about life.” Coming to Erbil at the young age of 16, he moved from job to job to make money and help support his family. Despite the challenges of being a young and unemployed Syrian refugee, Abdul Rahman continued to display positivity, resilience, and a motivation to learn. Sitting in a small meeting room in RI’s training center in Kasnazan, KRI, Abdul Rahman eagerly participated in the business skills development course. Intently focused on the topic of discussion, Abdul Rahman’s questions displayed his knowledge from previous trainings and courses. Since the start of this project in July 2016, RI and RDPP have partnered to bring economic development and prosperity through business coaching and training. In Abdul Rahman’s program, beneficiaries are working in groups to open stores that sell products such as pickles, sweets, and yoghurt as well as honey from beekeeping. With eight other beneficiaries, Abdul Rahman will work to open a dairy shop with the skills and capacity provided through this project. As conflict in Syria enters its sixth year, more than 250,000 Syrian refugees continue to reside in the KRI. Of these, 40% reside in nine camps and 60% reside in non-camp settings, mainly in the urban areas surrounding Erbil, Duhok, and Sulaymaniyah. In May 2017, Abdul Rahman is expecting to use his newly acquired knowledge through his business training and apply what he has learned to successfully open and maintain his dairy shop. With a smile on his face, Abdul Rahman said that, “this is so useful. Before I was selected, I knew very little about business. But now I have so much more knowledge and I have developed my skills in business strategies and market ideas to be successful despite my situation.”