Poverty Alleviation and Women Refugees in the Middle East: Empowerment through Grassroots Micro-Entrepreneurship?

当代中东地区的政治动荡导致了深远的社会经济动荡和冲突，产生了毁灭性的影响，导致伊拉克、巴勒斯坦和叙利亚难民大规模流离失所到约旦、黎巴嫩和土耳其(人权高专办，2014年)。在东道国，这些流离失所的社区试图在失去、贫穷、暴力和破坏的背景下重建他们的生活(Kutabb，2008；Chatty，2010)。在这里，与流离失所和难民流动的其他情况一样，妇女和儿童受到这种动乱的最严重影响，因为她们对抗随之而来的暴力和贫困的权力和资源有限(Al-Dajani和Marlow，2013年；Holmes，2007年；联合国，2006年)。作为解决因流离失所而产生的一系列不利因素，特别是贫穷问题的一项战略，妇女在家中自营职业的潜力已成为当代政策关注的焦点。这种微型企业被定位为许多情况下的一种发展工具，因为它为赋予妇女社会经济权力提供了途径，这些途径只需要很少的资源，而且不会挑战主流的文化父权规范。尽管这一论点受到了批评(库塔布，2008年；布鲁顿，2010年；弗兰克，2012年)，但居家企业被定位为流离失所妇女的一项关键活动，是参与经济活动的简单但有效的切入点，以及相关的社会和地位福利(Al Dajani和Marlow，2013年)。因此，许多旨在鼓励这种创业活动的支助和咨询机构现在把重点放在帮助流离失所和难民妇女从事自营职业上。然而，我们之前的研究(Al-Dajani等人，2015年)表明，这些机构被认为对流离失所的难民妇女施加了许多令人窒息的限制。这种紧张关系以及流离失所妇女对创业和贸易伙伴的偏好促使许多妇女拒绝与正式支助机构接触。相反，他们正在寻找其他途径和网络来支持他们的进取活动。因此，在这个项目中，我们将探讨为流离失所和难民妇女提供支助和咨询的现有途径的有效性和影响，并分析创业在多大程度上是在社会政治动荡的情况下减贫和赋权的可持续渠道。该项目汇集了Issam Fares研究所(黎巴嫩)、UDA咨询公司(土耳其)和侯赛因国王基金会(约旦)，与阿拉伯联合酋长国(PI)的Haya Al-Dajani和诺丁汉大学(Co-I)的Susan Marlow一起开展该项目。合作伙伴已经获得潜在利益攸关方的明确同意，同意为该项目作出贡献，并正在与被难民署确定为援助叙利亚难民的伙伴机构的主要难民支助机构合作。在每个地理位置，将举行一次最初的利益攸关方会议，聚集20个非学术的关键利益攸关方，包括潜在的研究用户，通过采用参与性学习和行动(解放军)方法，参与随后项目的设计和实施(联合国志愿人员方案，2013年)。随后将单独采访150名流离失所到约旦、黎巴嫩和土耳其的伊拉克、巴勒斯坦和叙利亚难民妇女。在完成这一数据收集后，将在每个地点举行另一次利益攸关方会议，以审议调查结果，并告知第二阶段研究的设计和发展情况，该阶段涉及对难民妇女进行后续调查。最后，将在项目结束时在三个地理位置各举办一次关键利益攸关方宣传活动。这些活动将使每个地点的50个主要利益攸关方参与，并将重点放在针对流离失所和难民人口的研究、实践和政策制定上。

Contemporary political volatility within the Middle East region has led to far reaching socio-economic upheaval and strife with a devastating impact generating mass displacement of Iraqi, Palestinian, and Syrian refugees to Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey (UNCHR, 2014). In their host nations, these displaced communities seek to reconstruct their lives in a context of loss, poverty, violence and devastation (Kuttab, 2008; Chatty, 2010). Here, as in other contexts of displacement and refugee movements, women and children are subject to the worst effects of such upheaval given their limited power and resources to counteract the ensuing violence and poverty (Al-Dajani and Marlow, 2013; Holmes, 2007; UN, 2006). As one strategy to address the matrix of disadvantages and especially poverty arising from displacement, the potential of home based self-employment for women has become a focal point of contemporary policy interest. Such micro enterprising is positioned as a development tool across many contexts as it presents pathways for socio-economic empowerment for women which require few resources but also, do not challenge prevailing cultural patriarchal norms. Despite critiques of this argument (Kuttab, 2008; Bruton, 2010; Franck, 2012), home based enterprise is positioned as a critical activity for displaced women as a simple but effective point of entry for economic participation with related social and status benefits (Al Dajani and Marlow, 2013). As such, numerous support and advice agencies aiming to encourage such enterprising activities now focus upon helping displaced and refugee women to undertake self-employment. Our previous research (Al-Dajani et al, 2015) however, suggests that such agencies are perceived to impose numerous stifling constraints upon the displaced refugee women. This tension and the preferences of the displaced women regarding business start-up and trading partners has prompted many women to reject engagement with formal support agencies. Rather, they are finding other pathways and networks to support their enterprising activities. Thus, within this project we will explore the effectiveness and impact of the available pathways for support and advice for displaced and refugee women and analyse the extent to which entrepreneurship is a sustainable conduit for poverty alleviation and empowerment in socio-politically volatile circumstances. The project brings together the Issam Fares Institute (Lebanon), UDA Consulting (Turkey) and the King Hussein Foundation (Jordan) to undertake the project alongside Haya Al-Dajani at UEA (PI) and Susan Marlow at Nottingham University (Co-I). The partners have already attained definite agreement from potential stakeholders to contribute to the project, and are working with key refugee support agencies identified by UNHCR as partner agencies assisting Syrian refugees. In each geographical location, an initial stakeholder meeting will be held, bringing together 20 non-academic key stakeholders, including potential research users, to engage in the design of the ensuing project and conduct through the adoption of a Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) approach (UNV, 2013). This will be followed by individual interviews with 150 Iraqi, Palestinian and Syrian refugee women displaced to Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Upon completion of this data collection, another stakeholder meeting will be held in each location to deliberate the findings and to inform the design and development of Phase 2 of the study involving a follow up survey with the refugee women. Finally, a key stakeholder dissemination event will be held at the end of the project in each of the three geographical locations. These events will engage 50 key stakeholders in each location, and will focus on research, practice and policy development for displaced and refugee populations.