Germany has given €230 million toward job creation in Middle East

Throughout the year Germany has contributed €230 million in order to give jobs to 20,000 refugees who were forced to leave their country but have not made it to Europe.

Refugees who find themselves in countries such as Jordan or Turkey are now working jobs which they have acquired due to the cash injection by Germany through the Middle East Employment Initiative.

German Development Minister Gerd Mueller said that the initiative sought to give money to Middle Eastern host countries in order to improve the lives of refugees but also dissuade them from seeking refuge in Europe. “No one likes to live permanently on charity," he said.

Many of the jobs included in the initiative are unskilled, low-paying jobs. There are currently 13,000 refugees working in Jordan's waste disposal facilities, for instance, while 6,000 Syrian refugees work in cleaning the streets and apartments in Lebanon.