Executive Summary
Introduction
The civil war between the government of Syria and rebel forces, initiated in mid-March 2011, resulted in an estimated one million refugees fleeing Syria to neighboring countries, including Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, by March 2013. Of this total, some 355,493 were registered or awaiting registration in Jordan in mid-March, according to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The status of Syrian women’s reproductive health (RH) has suffered due to the destruction in the health infrastructure and uncertain access and availability of services. Therefore, documentation is urgently needed on the type and amount of RH services that are currently available in Jordan in order to keep up with the growing demand for these services as the refugee population continues to swell.
Evaluation purpose
The Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP), a standard of care in humanitarian emergencies, is a coordinated set of priority activities designed to prevent excess newborn and maternal morbidity and mortality; reduce HIV transmission; prevent and manage the consequences of sexual violence; and plan for comprehensive RH services.
As part of the Global Evaluation of Reproductive Health in Crises for the Inter-Agency Working Group (IAWG) on Reproductive Health in Crises, representatives from Boston University School of Public Health, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) conducted an evaluation of the MISP from March 17-22, 2013. The purpose of this study was to examine to what extent the MISP services were in place for Syrian refugees living in Jordan in order to improve the response and meet the RH needs of the refugees.