NPR

For Syrian Refugees In Turkey, A Long Road To Regular Employment

Many of the Syrians in Turkey are educated professionals who are under-employed, working off the books for low pay. A government program is trying to change that, but things are moving slowly.
Arabic signs have replaced Turkish ones in Istanbul's Fatih neighborhood, where many Syrian refugees have settled. Turkey has absorbed some 3 million Syrian refugees since the Syrian war began.

In a neighborhood of Istanbul that's plastered with Arabic signs, a Syrian refugee whips up his specialty — avocado cream smoothies — at the small, colorful cafe where he works.

Majd al-Hassan has been in Turkey for two years, but has yet to learn much Turkish. He doesn't need to. This area is filled with fellow Syrians. He's paid in cash, under the table, and has yet to really integrate into Turkish society, he acknowledges.

"We've got Syrian supermarkets, Syrian restaurants — just like back home," says Hassan,

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