November 1, 2016
Jordan
Since March 2014 Caritas Czech Republic, together with Caritas Jordan, has been helping displaced Syrians and Jordanian hosts to develop skills that will enable them to build their own source of livelihood. Both organizations provided courses and subsequent material and financial support for start-ups in six areas of Jordan. They also arranged for the provision of psychological assistance and general skills training for around 1,200 people.
A total of 124 people (9 Jordanians and 115 Syrians) have managed to establish home-based businesses within one year. These businesses include such areas as baking and cooking, producing goods from soap and wax, or sewing. On 31 October, Galleria Hall in Amman hosted a fair where they exhibited their products. The fair was held as a closing event of a more than two-year program, which will be terminated at the end of this year. Representatives from the European Union, NGOs, citizen associations, the local media and the general public took part in the event.
"Everything you see here is the result of EU brotherhood, friendship, love and solidarity shown to Syrians and Jordanians to enable them to regain that sense of hope that they had lost in themselves," stated the Chairman of Caritas Jordan, Wael Suleiman, as he greeted the visitors.
"We all can help businessmen by buying their products at this fair," as appreciation was shown by Andrea 
Matteo Fontana, EU ambassador to Jordan. Afterwards, visitors got the opportunity to stroll among the booths, get acquainted with exhibitors, buy their products and arrange future business cooperation.
At the end, Muhammad Salim, Caritas representative in the Middle East, presented the results and achievements of individual activities. The speech ended with several videos documenting the life of selected participants of the training course. The project to help displaced Syrians and vulnerable Jordanian groups was supported financially by EuropeAid and Caritas Switzerland.
