Empowering “Young Mothers” in Za’atari Camp: The case of Hilamah

In Za’atari Camp, around 79,000 Syrian Refugees have been living in exile for the past eight years, of which 7% (around 5,500 people) are adolescent girls. This age group benefits from one of the diverse Mercy Corps psychosocial support programs such as the pilot project of Young Mothers under ISHRAK Program.

Girls and women living in the Za’atari and Azraq camps are at greater risk of economic pressure, physical and emotional distress or in some cases gender-based violence (GBV) because they share the same caravan with multiple family members with limited space, which can trigger violence issues. COVID‑19 and associated restriction on movement for refugees in the Za’atari and Azraq camps, has led to an increase of GBV due to economic stress and food insecurity, especially for vulnerable women in Jordan.

Despite the numerous governmental and non-governmental efforts to eliminate the “child marriage” phenomenon in camps and host communities, yet this culturally embedded practice still prevails. Child marriage brings a girl’s childhood and adolescence to a premature and unnatural end by imposing adult roles and responsibilities before she is physically, psychologically, and emotionally prepared.

To worsen the situation, vulnerable girls and women are facing various hardships under the COVID‑19 lockdown circumstances such as decreased freedom of movement and privacy, and enduring physical and psychological stress, not to mention the limited access to social protection services.

Among all these variables, Mercy Corps, with the generous support of the Republic of China - Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, implements an innovative program that reaches out to adolescent girls married at an early age who experience high levels of isolation and limited mobility. The program, which is the first of its kind in camp settings, is implemented in both Za’atari and Azraq camps, is called “Young Mothers.” Although this program is in its infancy stage, Mercy Corps trained staff was able to reach out to over 40 young mothers in the pilot project, dividing them into two groups, of 20 each. The program methodology requires conducting 12 sessions, one to two hours per session. Given the restriction of movement for young married girls, the program is conducted at the adolescent girl’s new residency with her husband and in-laws’ family.

As a pilot project which started in February 2020 under ISHRAK-Psychosocial Support Program, several challenges emerged upon reaching out to young mothers; such as the resistance of parents-in-law for their daughter-in-law to join this multidimensional program due to fear from social stigma, as well as, husband’s reluctance to the program. Thus, sessions are conducted in the in-laws residency. Another issue hindering program objectives is the possibility of direct connection with the female facilitator; young mothers do not possess personal phones, the only way for external communications is through their husband or mother-in-law’s mobile. Therefore, all sessions are conducted under the surveillance and control of the mother-in-law.

According to Program Instructor, Wisal Al Rifae, “the program seeks to alleviate the early marriage repercussions by helping the young mother to deal with her new role as a wife, a daughter-in-law, and a mother within a conservative cultural setting.”

Instructor Wisal added, “many of the Syrian refugee girls face difficulties in their postnatal period or when starting to raise an infant. Therefore, the program is designed to educate a young mother on how to respond to a newborn physiological and emotional needs. The program helps a young mother to find a balance in her life between house chores, raising a child, and taking care of her husband’s needs, as well as her own. The girl also learns how to cooperate with her mother-in-law and integrate in the new family she has joined. The program also provides psychosocial support, sexual and reproductive health knowledge and practices.”

Halima Al Hariri, a young mother who had recently benefited from ISHRAK-Young Mother Program, mentions, “before attending for these sessions, I didn’t know how to take care of my baby boy, after the sessions, I felt capable and more comfortable in responding to my baby’s needs as well as to my husband’s. The program also enriched my knowledge on self-care, and women's health issues such as being able to diagnose recent infections I went through.”

While Mercy Corps has been conducting sessions for young mothers through home visits before the COVID‑19 pandemic, to adapt to the new context and needs, Mercy Corps staff opted to connect with participating young mothers through activating WhatsApp groups, which is allowing the most isolated mothers to get involved in a safe space to interact with their peers. This approach came as a response to participants’ needs and suggestions. Mercy Corps will continue to reach out and serve the most isolated and under-reached women living in Za’atari and Azraq Camps.

In Jordan, the road to achieve gender equality, whether for Jordanian or Syrian refugee women, is still ambiguous, in the 2020, Global Gender Gap Report, Jordan stood at 138 out of 153 countries. Indices such as health and survival, educational attainment, economic participation and political empowerment define the global gender gap metrics. Mercy Corps considers providing psychosocial support and protection against gender based violence as essential priorities, especially during a pandemic.