Jordan opens new camp for Syrian refugees amid funding gaps
Za'atri camp was set up in record time to move refugees from overcrowded border sites. The new camp was not foreseen in the US$193 million appeal that is severely under-funded.
AMMAN, Jordan, July 30 (UNHCR) - As the outflow from Syria continues, neighbouring Jordan on Sunday opened a new camp in record time to ease pressures on border sites hosting thousands of Syrian refugees.
Until last weekend, some 10,000 Syrian refugees were living in four overcrowded transit centres near the Jordan-Syria border. An additional 1,500 are arriving every night through informal border crossings, mostly from the Da'raa governorate in southern Syria. There are reports of refugees being fired upon while trying to flee. The number of refugees from Damascus has also surged following last week's events.
Many of the refugees have been accommodated and supported by the local Jordanian community. But with the high pace of arrivals, the host communities' limited resources and fragile local infrastructure have been stretched beyond capacity.
Recognising the strain on border facilities and host families, the Jordanian authorities and local charities requested UNHCR and its partners to set up a new camp, the first since the Iraq refugee crisis started in Jordan. Work started on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan on July 20. The Jordanian government, the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organisation, Jordan Health Aid Society, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and other partners worked tirelessly to expedite the camp's opening. With searing temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius, teams had to work at night to erect tents, install water and sanitation facilities and set up massive warehouses.
Nine days later, Za'atri, a windswept camp in the desert close to Mafraq in northern Jordan, was opened. More than 750 refugees have so far been moved from two transit centres into the new camp. Most of the moving takes place between 9 pm and 5 am to avoid the day-time heat. The camp, which can host 10,000 refugees at the moment, will be able to accommodate up to 113,000 when it is completed.
"We are seeing a surge of women and children, the majority who have suffered enormously in Syria. We obviously do not want to host refugees who have suffered so much in a camp like Za'atri, but we have no choice," said Andrew Harper, UNHCR's Representative in Jordan. "We are the first to admit that it is a hot desolate location. Nobody wants to put a family who has already suffered so much in a tent, in the desert, but we have no choice. We are prepared to provide the most basic of assistance and maximum protection, but we have to work with what we have."
The Jordanian government estimates that some 140,000 Syrian refugees have entered the Kingdom since March last year. More than 50,000 of them are receiving protection and assistance; the rest are not registered.
In total, more than 124,000 Syrian refugees have been registered in the region so far. The majority of them are entirely dependent on humanitarian aid. To respond to their needs in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey, the UN and non-government organizations have appealed for US$193 million under the Syria Regional Response Plan. The plan is only 33 percent funded and will likely be revised in the coming months to reflect the growing needs of the Syrian refugee population.
Related news and stories
Earthquake survivors in Türkiye count the devastating toll
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
Twelve years on, Syrian refugees face deepening debt and hunger
Visiting earthquake-ravaged areas of Türkiye and Syria, UNHCR's Grandi urges more support for survivors trying to rebuild
UNHCR, IOM welcome Spain's expedited resettlement of Syrian refugees from Türkiye in earthquake aftermath
Vital aid reaches Syrian quake survivors who – again – have lost everything
Your search for « refugee camp jordan » matched 2206 results. Only the first 1,000 results are displayed. Displaying page 16 of 112 pages.
-
Jordan: Khaled Hosseini Visit
7 May 2015 ... 0 Bestselling author and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Khaled Hosseini visited Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan this week to meet with Syrian refugees fleeing the conflict. As the conflict enters its ...... -
Picture This
15 Oct 2014 ... Every so often you meet one person who makes you think, "I want to tell everyone about you." For me, that someone is Israa, a 13-year-old Syrian refugee living in Jordan's Za'atari camp. Even in ...... -
Origami helps Syrian refugee shape new life in exile
19 Apr 2017 ... of paper, as he recounts the events that brought him from Syria to Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp. ... In total, Jordan is host to 658,000 registered Syrian refugees, with the vast majority living in ...... -
Projected Global Resettlement Needs 2023
Jun 2022 ... district from the Kutupalong and Teknaf refugee camps of Cox's Bazar. © UNHCR/Amos Halder ... Syrian conflict (including Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Türkiye) and the Central ...... -
Durable solutions required for Syrian refugees in Jordan as Za'atari camp turns 10
29 Jul 2022 ... UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, this week marked the 10th anniversary of Za’atari camp in Jordan, the temporary home to 80,000 Syrian refugees. While the camp has saved thousands of lives and ...... -
Palestinian refugees in Jordan: Jolie visits, expresses thanks
16 Dec 2003 ... While on a private trip to Jordan last week, UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador Angelina Jolie spent an afternoon at the refugee camp at Ruweished, near Jordan's eastern border with Iraq that houses more ...... -
UNHCR Global Appeal 2008-2009 - UNHCR: An Overview
1 Dec 2007 ... PART I UNHCR: An overview Thailand. Ban Don Yang refugee camp, on the Thai-Myanmar border, home to ... The operations in Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic will provide valuable experience in the ...... -
Syria Emergency: Record number of Syrians cross border into Jordan
24 Aug 2012 ... GENEVA, 24 August (UNHCR) - A record 2,200 Syrians crossed into Jordan on Thursday night and were taken to the Za'atri refugee camp, pushing the total number of Syrian refugees recorded by the UN ...... -
Syrian refugee children prepare to start school, Iraq opens border crossing
21 Sep 2012 ... GENEVA, September 21 (UNHCR) - With the new academic year approaching, hundreds of Syrian refugee children in Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan have been registering to start school in state schools or camps......