More than 500,000 Iraqi refugees have fled to Jordan to escape violence and threats of death.  Unable to legally work there, the majority of Iraqis have become impoverished.  Most have settled in crowded and decaying apartments in poor urban neighborhoods. They largely confine themselves to their homes because of economic constraints, disabilities and concerns about their legal status. Access to educational and health services has improved, but remains limited. 

The International Rescue Committee began relief operations in Jordan in 2007 for thousands of at-risk and underserved Iraqi refugees and the communities hosting them. Partnering with three international organizations—Care, the Near East Foundation and QuestScope—the IRC has designed programs to ensure the most vulnerable get needed assistance.

How We Help
 
The IRC and its partners are working in Amman, Irbid and Zarqa – the cities most densely populated by Iraqi refugees. An IRC-supported center in Amman provides cash assistance, household supplies, trauma care and other counseling, and referrals to medical and social services.  The IRC is also supporting more than a dozen local community groups that provide similar outreach services and aim to bring together and improve relations between the overwhelmed host community and Iraqi refugees.  Additional IRC-supported projects bring together out of school or disadvantaged Jordanian and Iraqi children and youth for informal learning programs and recreational activities.

The IRC is also providing humanitarian aid for displaced people inside Iraq and will soon be dispatching staff to Syria to assist the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) with education programs.