Supporting Host Communities and Refugees

BDC prioritizes supporting host communities and refugees through its missions and programs. In alignment with Sustainable Development Goals 1, 8, 10, and 11, BDC designs and delivers initiatives that strengthen livelihoods and expand economic participation for Jordanians and Syrian refugees in both camp and urban settings.

Across all Jordanian governorates, BDC under this pillar has supported more than 30,000 Syrian refugees, in addition to similar number of host community members, to access employment pathways through tailored training programs, career guidance, and job-matching services.

BDC also support refugees and host community members to pursue self-employment through entrepreneurship and micro-business development services, including training, coaching, and mentoring. This support promotes skills exchange, joint ventures, and income-generation opportunities that contribute to financial independence, social cohesion, and sustainable, inclusive growth.

In Zaatari, Azraq, King Abdullah Park, and the Emirati-Jordanian refugee camps, BDC manages the operations of 20 Makani centers, 3 youth centers, 6 playgrounds, and 34 education facilities, providing Syrian children and youth with access to learning opportunities, safe spaces, and related services.

Key Projects

STEP (Skills Training Education Programme) 2024:

the project supported by (SPARK / Islamic Development Bank) and aimed to enhance employability for Jordanian and refugee youth by integrating work-ready skills and work-based learning within higher education, partnering with universities to modernize curricula, expand market-relevant training and internships, and strengthen pathways to sustainable private sector employment.

Green Job Search Club 2023-2024:

ILO-Prospects supported project introduced the Job Search Clubs methodology to support Jordanian, Syrian refugee, and non-Jordanian youth through intensive job search support. The project implemented Job Search Clubs and strengthened sustainability by building facilitator capacity to enable continued implementation of the methodology in the future.

Tanmyeh (Access to Vocational Education and Development) 2018-2023:

AFD-funded program supporting access to employment and self-employment through demand-driven training and job matching, with a strong focus on manufacturing-sector labor market linkages.

Youth Engagement Program 2019-2020:

A UNICEF-supported program was designed to support the employment of trained Jordanian and Syrian refugee youth through employability and vocational entrepreneurship training, and job-matching services to strengthen private sector engagement across targeted governorates.

Technical and Vocational Training in the Camps 2018:

A UN Women- supported program delivered employment-oriented training services in Zaatari and Azraq camps to strengthen refugees’ employability and support their contribution to host community economies.

Operationalize a Business Incubator 2018:

A UN Women- funded program supported Syrian refugee women in Zaatari and Azraq camps through micro-business development training and entrepreneurship support, including capacity building, mentorship, networking, and pitching sessions.

Hands-on Skills Exchange between Jordanians and Syrian Refugees 2016-2017:

A UNDP-funded program aimed to strengthen livelihoods and social cohesion in host communities through practical skills and technical knowledge exchange interventions between Syrian refugees and Jordanians, supporting employability and entrepreneurship capacities for both groups.

Impact

Outreached

Trained beneficiaries

Women engaged

Syrian engaged

Of employment

Of opened businesses

This pillar is aligned with the below sdgs