Maha
Maha explains the further moves her family have had to make within Jordan, to try to survive as refugees from Syria. Having arrived at Al Azraq camp, they then moved to the Jordanian city of Ajloun, before being forced to return to the camp:
"We left Syria because nothing was left for us there. No food, no shelter, no work. We decided to come (to Jordan) then. We left (the camp) to (live in) Ajloun for a year. What happened (was) that I couldn't work, so I couldn't support my family. My options were that I could either get out of the camp, or go back to Syria. The situation here (in the camp) was very bad. The aid coupons were not enough."
"I thought that going outside of the camp would be a good idea, and I did work in Ajloun. (But then) we had to leave Ajloun because the police caught my husband without a work permit, so they brought us all back here. The moment we came back from Ajloun, we decided to fix up the caravan."
Syrian refugees must weigh up the challenges of both camp and city life as they try to make their way in Jordan. This case study from the Refugees in Towns project explores the complexities of living in the Jordanian capital, Amman, in terms of legal and economic status, as well as issues of integration and citizenship. This is part of a wider research project that gathers case studies of urban integration from towns and cities across the world that host refugees.
