• The Syrian civil war has displaced over 6 million people internally, and forced another 5 million Syrians across its borders into neighboring countries.

  • This has left half of Syria’s pre-war population dependent on life-saving assistance. It has also strained infrastructure and contributed to income disparity in host countries.

  • However, there's another side to the story

  • In Turkey, a country host to 3 million Syrian refugees, Syrians have started 6,033 businesses since 2011. These businesses are creating jobs, not only for Syrians and refugees, but also for host communities affected by the crisis.

The Report

In Turkey, a country that is now host to three million Syrian refugees, Syrians have started over 6,000 businesses since 2011, mostly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). From restaurants to manufacturing companies, Syrian entrepreneurs are creating formal jobs and opportunity, not only for themselves, and for other refugees, but also for their host communities.

Accelerating the growth of these businesses could produce significant benefits for both refugees and the Turkish economy, including helping to offset the cost of the crisis. However, very little is known about the unique challenges and needs of Syrian businesses, which limits opportunities to enable their growth.

With funding from Global Affairs Canada, Building Markets, together with our local partner Syrian Economic Forum (SEF) conducted in-depth research, including in-person interviews with 230 Syrian-owned businesses. Today, on World Refugee Day, I am pleased to share our findings with you in our new report – Another Side to the Story: A Market Assessment of Syrian SMEs in Turkey.

Download the Full Report:  EN | TR | AR
Download the Executive Summary: EN | TR | AR
Download the Press Release
Ruba (The Day Care Center Owner)
Mehmet (The Shoe Manufacturer)
Mojahed (The Tech Entrepreneur)
Samer (The Tradesman)
Asmaa (The Language Institute CEO )
Osamah (The Printhouse Owner)

About Building Markets

Building Markets is a nonprofit organization that creates jobs and encourages economic growth in crisis-affected countries by connecting local SMEs to new business opportunities. Through its approach, the organization has profiled and built a network of more than 23,000 local SMEs, assisted those businesses in winning $1.3 billion  in contracts, and helped create over 69,000 jobs.

For more information: www.buildingmarkets.org

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