Following consultations between the Government of Jordan (GOJ - represented by the Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation MOPIC, and the Department of Statistics DOS), the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO), and UN agencies, it was agreed to carry out a needs assessment of the Syrian population in Jordan with the following goals:
1) To obtain a holistic overview of the situation of Syrians in Jordan. 2) To identify the humanitarian needs of Syrians and prioritise them. 3) To understand the coping mechanisms of Syrians in Jordan. 4) To provide a framework for immediate relief interventions.
For this purpose, a Task Force was established consisting of MOPIC, Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Education (MOE), DOS, JHCO, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. The Task Force agreed on methodology (participatory assessment), sectors (coping strategies, income and expenditure, food security, health and reproductive health, education and protection) and geographical coverage (Amman, Mafraq, Ramtha, Irbid and Zarqa) of the needs assessment.
The participatory assessment methodology consisted of focus group interviews, which were conducted with over 300 persons of concern (POCs) grouped by age (youth, adult and elderly) and gender, as well as interviews with key informants, i.e. individuals close to the community such as government officials.