The UNHCR’s livelihood toolkits contain essential elements. Carpenters, like Kamal, received an electric drill, hacksaws and other tools needed for their profession.
Kamal is a displaced Syrian from Rural Damascus, he used to own a furniture factory and an Aluminum factory before the Syria crisis. Due to the crisis, he lost his business and his means of living.
Today, Kamal earns his income by doing carpentry work in Swaida with the help of a carpentry livelihood toolkit that he received from (UNHCR) the UN Refugee Agency in Syria.
Kamal earns sufficient income from his work for a private employer in the city of Swaida, with a complete set of UNHCR’s livelihood toolkit, he feels optimistic that his earnings could increase in the near future.
“Now, I am working for additional three hours in the evening, installing doors and windows”, he said, “Last month, I had the chance to make some extra money by working overtime”, he continued.
As Kamal is a father of five children, he needs regular income to support the expenses of his children and other daily needs as well as the house rent.
“The carpentry toolkit helped me double my income at least”
“The carpentry toolkit helped me double my income at least, and to get rid of the burden of the accumulated house rent which drove me to limit many other expenses in order to afford the house rent.”
Last August, 24 beneficiaries received complete livelihood kits, most of them are skilled laborers that were unemployed or couldn’t make ends meet. They are the kind of skilled workers that only need a good kit with needed tools they can’t afford to buy, to put them back in business.
Abdul Razak Jaweesh, from UNHCR office in Swaida, said: “We spoke to the men and women who had received the livelihood toolkits and we have observed a remarkable improvement in their income since many of them started to work after a lengthy period of stepping out”.
Adnan, who is also a carpenter, had benefitted from the carpentry toolkit. Adnan is a father of four, displaced from the city of Homs, and responsible for his parents. According to him, he had installed 25 doors for many buildings during the last month and received a good amount of money for this work.
Aside from Kamal and Adnan, nine other displaced Syrians received plumbing toolkits and fourteen carpenters received carpentry toolkits in Swaida in August alone this year.
The UNHCR’s livelihood toolkits contain essential elements. Carpenters, like Kamal, received an electric drill, hacksaws and other tools needed for their profession.
“With these kits, displaced men and women can be productive even without a steady job”
“With these kits, displaced men and women can be productive even without a steady job”, Abdul Razaq said.
Building on the achievement of supporting internally displaced people around the country and in view of evolving needs in the sixth year of the conflict, UNHCR has shifted its operational activities and modalities to meet the diversified needs of the targeted population in 2016 and beyond.
UNHCR Syria is scaling up to reach more refugees, internally displaced people and host communities with protection services, to increase their resilience and provide the livelihood. The livelihood toolkits would improve the socio-economic and well-being of internally displaced people and affected workers in their communities. It also enables them to acquire gainful employment and improve their livelihood through this self-employment package, and technical assistance.
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
