10/3/2022 0 Comments Zaatari Camp ReflectionTo add a little academia to this blog, below is a reflection I wrote on our visit to the Zaatari Camp in Jordan.
The first observation when entering the Zaatari camp in Mafraq is that the perimeter is lined with multiple policemen, large tanks with big guns, and walls inside the camp with barbed wire curled on top. The recent phenomenon of refugee camps towards increased militarization of the border of the camp (Janmyr 2014) was felt greatly as we entered the settlement and traveled throughout. What is supposed to be a home for thousands of refugees feels more like a prison. The camp appeared much like Jansen’s view of refugee camps, as “Encamped refugees are stocked as in a warehouse, concentrated to keep them out of mainstream society, while serving the functionality of humanitarian operations” (2016). During our visit, we were taken throughout the camp by 2 policemen to the women and girls center for IFH protection and JHSI clinic. Then we visited the Tazweed supermarket with a representative from the World Food Program. The reflection of our time in the camp will be analyzed in the outline of the 7 Sphere standards for Shelter and Settlement and UNHCR camp coordination and camp management policies. Shelter and settlement standard 1: Planning The camp serves as, what is supposed to be, a temporary home space and refuge for around 81,000 Syrian refugees. However, this temporary camp has become a community-like city. There are 12 districts throughout the camp, with 32 schools for around 23,000 students and 9 clinics. The camp opened in 2012, starting out with tents and transitioned to caravans in 2014. The schools operate on a shift schedule with girls in the morning and boys in the afternoon, with around 100 Jordanian teachers for the whole camp. The camp received assistance from numerous local and international organizations in the planning and implementation of the settlement. Major international contributors include: UNHCR, UNICEF, USAID, UKAID, WFP, SRAD, and more. Major local and national organizations include: the Government of Jordan, JHASI, IFH, Tazweed, War Child, and more. These groups follow the “the institutional structure of the humanitarian apparatus, in which various NGOs divide up the labor of aid, focus on particular functional areas, and assign bits of work as projects to different groups”, according to Dunn (2017). The culmination of efforts from all of the organizations with the local municipality host community have aided the cohesive implementation of projects within and around the refugee settlement. During our visit to the municipality area of Zaatari, we visited Dar Abu Abdullah ‘Humanity Above All’. The office of the municipality has given space to the non-profit organization where 48 women have been employed, including 12 Syrian women, to produce clothing and jackets, blankets, bags, and toys for UNICEF to distribute in the refugee camp. We saw the cohesion of the women working together in a supply line to produce the products faster, increasing their overall pay and the number of items to be donated to the camp. With a staff of all women, they appeared to work well together, chatting as they got their work done, and seemingly enjoying the opportunity for employment that can be scarce for women in the community. The space was well set up, with toilets, built floors, and air conditioning. This project is one of many that have established connections and assistance between the local host community and the refugee settlement. Shelter and settlement standard 2: Location and settlement planning The refugee camp based itself in Zaatari due to its close access to bur holes and underground water systems. Within the camp there are three main bur holes to provide water to the camp, however, this is not enough. They must resource their water from outside the camps from the municipality of Zaatari. From discussions with representatives at the municipality, they discussed that the increasing population from Syrian refugees into Zaatari camp and the surrounding town has led to an overextraction of water which has caused pollution issues and high salinity. They described now having to dig to 600 meters below ground to access clean water, which is not a sustainable solution for the refugee camp or community. The aquifers and bur holes in Zaatari are slowly being over-extracted, causing many issues for the future in access to long-term water supplies. The representatives from the municipality appeared overwhelmed and distressed talking about the issue and were saddened discussing that people in their community were “always thirsty”. A police officer at the beginning of our visit discussed the use of ‘grey water’, which is “gently used water from your bathroom sinks, showers, tubs, and washing machines. It is not water that has come into contact with feces, either from the toilet or from washing diapers” (Greywater Action 2014). This form of water source has increased the state of living for many, allowing them to save clean water for consumption and cooking, while using the grey water for other purposes and even some to be able to grow trees/plants. In an article in the Jordan News, a woman who is a Syrian refugee was interviewed and discussed her use of grey water as “she planted a few trees to try and adapt to her new life” (Jordan News 2021) as she had been used to the greenery in her life in Syria. This form of water management has allowed for the Syrian refugees to save clean water for its necessary use, and to acclimate to camp life while being able to recreate some of their cultural norms from Syria. This is critical to the mental health and overall well-being of refugees, to create a semblance of normalcy and culture in their new status as refugees. Shelter and settlement standard 3: Living space In the Zaatari camp, there are 26,000 shelters to serve 16,000 families throughout the 12 districts. We spoke to a young man who is an employee in the Tazweed supermarket about the process of a newly married couple registering with the UNHCR to gain a new caravan for themselves. He described having gone through the process himself recently and that it wasn’t too difficult. A police officer we spoke with at the beginning of our tour in Zaatari told us that with the transition to the caravan system from tents in 2014, all of the caravans in the camp are now due for renovation. However, as stated previously, the UNHCR has only been renovating 1,000 caravans per year, leading them to not complete the renovations for 26 years, in which the others will have renewed their need for restoration. As we drove through the camp, you could observe that in some of the districts the caravans looked well put together and established, while in other districts the side paneling was broken and the roofs of many of the caravans were blankets. According to Sphere and UNHCR standards, these conditions do not constitute “adequate living space to perform basic domestic activities” (Sphere 2018) or allow for dignity in one’s living. During our visit we were unable to enter one of the caravans to observe whether they satisfied the key indicators of an adequate living space within, however it was clear that it was not spacious enough for a full family unit. However, discussions with Dr. Bayan revealed the caravan’s lack of insulation during the winter season when temperatures drop below freezing, neither enough to accommodate for the heat/dry season. Considering the culture of women remaining fully covered from outsiders, the conditions must make living in these caravans extremely difficult. Shelter and settlement standard 4: Household items Based on observations from driving throughout the camp, it appeared that everyone was sufficiently and appropriately dressed for the climate. This is easier to accomplish during hot weather, I am curious whether everyone in the camp has appropriate warm weather clothes/jackets for when the temperature drops below zero. Hopefully we will be able to make another visit to the camp where we can meet with more of the refugees and see the status of their homes and learn first-hand about their access to basic household needs. The Tazweed center contributes in a significant way to the distribution of necessary goods in their large supermarket in the camp, contracted by the World Food Program. They have been open in the camp for 10 years, offering daily fresh fruits and vegetables, and large sizes of products made specifically for the population they serve. In the camp, refugees receive 23 JOD per month/per person, and use an eye scanning program to pay for their food. We watched the checkout process of one of the refugees and it appeared very seamless and easier for refugees to not have to walk around with money in the camps with the chance of having it stolen. Recognizing the given population, Tazweed imports Syrian brands to the market to provide a familiarity of products for the refugees and a semblance of maintaining their cultural normality. The center employs around 50 workers, Syrian and Jordanian alike. We spoke with one of the cashiers who was a Syrian refugee himself and discussed his satisfaction with what they offer at the market and his ability to have a job there. However, one man in line at checkout did complain to us of he prices in the supermarket in that the prices were “more expensive than outside of the camp”. In following with the Sphere standards of “post-distribution monitoring”, the center conducts weekly monitoring in the camps to analyze the effects of their prices, availability, and quality of goods. These assessments are then analyzed by the Tazweed managers to learn from what has been effective and decide what may need altering. From all standards, the Tazweed center follows the standards and policies of Sphere and UNHCR to provide culturally relevant and supplemental products and opportunities for the refugee camp. Shelter and settlement standard 5: Technical assistance Two of the major services we visited while at the Zaatari, were the women and girl's clinic and the War Child facility. The ‘Orange Clinic’ we visited is sponsored majorly by UNFPA, European Union, and JHASI. They offer services for all women’s needs including family planning, GBV, pre- and post-natal services, pediatric services, and assist women with deliveries. They are open from 9am to 4pm for regular services and are open 24/7 for emergencies. They hire a team of 60 medical personnel and 40 non-medical, mostly consisting of a staff of women. The medical staff all must be Jordanian, however, the non-medical staff can by Syrian refugees. We were given a tour of the facilities by one of the female leaders of the clinic and, from observation, saw a majority staff of women who were all happy to interact with us and the woman guiding us. The clinic works closely with the Institute for Family Health (IFH), to help empower women, work on case management to assist women through incidents of GBV and offer trainings and support sessions to assist the women to become more self-sufficient and independent. The IFH center, directly next to the Orange Clinic, provides women with discretion should they want to report a GBV incident through the guise of visiting the clinic. The center was set up with numerous open and closed areas for the comfortability of the women. In an understanding that many women cannot leave their children at home when they go to visit their services or sessions, there is a child's playroom for the kids to entertain themselves in while their mothers receive assistance. The project in general is well thought out to the culture and vulnerability of the female refugees that come to their assistance. Another impactful service provided in the camp is the educational service from War Child. The organization has one facility set up in Zaatari, offering a variety of courses and training session for caretakers and children throughout the day. School classes are offered to students to attend one day a week, with the rest of the week conducting assignments virtually. Each day there are approximately 30 children from the ages of 7 to 12 years old, maxing at 150 students per week. The staff/teacher population is made up of all Syrian refugees. This aspect aids the comfortability of the children in class, with their teachers being able to easily relate to them and their cultural practices. In class they offer special activities for ADHD students with developmental toys, and stations with faces of various emotions for the teachers to learn how the children are feeling and assist them from there. Food is provided during each session, ensuring the children are provided with one nutritional meal while they are at the facility. In an effort to monitor their impact in the community, War Child has a “War Child box” where kids can privately put in notes thanking their teachers/others, put in complaints, and make suggestions. War Child also has their phone number and email placed publicly for anyone to contact them for assistance or suggestions. This facility is one of many in the camp that provides a safe space for children to come learn, eat, and play like normal children. Shelter and settlement standard 6: Security of tenure With permits from the UNHCR on caravan placements, there is security for the refugees that they will not be evicted from their spaces in the camp. This is not the case however for the Syrian refugee family we visited outside of the camp who are at constant risk that they may lose their temporary home. After feeling unsafe in Zaatari, the woman we met with smuggled herself, her husband and five children out of the camp without a sponsorship from a Jordanian. Luckily, they found a Jordanian that had done work in the humanitarian field who decided to sponsor them and give them refuge on his property, allowing them to build a temporary caravan. However, they were told the space is only temporary as the land belongs to his family who may reclaim it at any time. This gives them a great lack of security for the future, though this isn’t their only problem. The woman took us around the back of their caravan, where there was a large pit for their sewage that was highly unsanitary and decreased their levels of hygiene. It is an issue that many face outside of the camps, lacking the assistance from the UNHCR and other organizations that is provided within the settlement. Shelter and settlement standard 7: Environmental sustainability Electricity has come to the Zaatari camp. A significant necessity during the COVID-19 pandemic where classes couldn’t be in person, a discussion from War Child showed how they transitioned their work online for the kids to be able to continue their education. However, the electricity in the camp is not a 24/7 accessible service, available only during certain hours of the day. Additionally, lights have been installed in recent years throughout the camp, so that activities and movement at night could continue past sunset. Established sewage systems are functioning in the settlement, increasing the status of WASH levels and aiding the prevention of communicable diseases or those from poor sanitation. In another visit we could hopefully visit the water distribution tank, to learn more about the sustainability of their water practices and gain further information on how they fulfill their duties to WASH. References Dunn, Elizabeth. (2017). The Camp and the camp. In: No Path Home: Humanitarian Camps and the Grief of Displacement. Pp. 1-25. Electronic Resources at SIT. Greywater Action. (2014). About Greywater Reuse. Greywater Action; Greywater Action. https://greywateraction.org/greywater-reuse/ Janmyr, Maja. (2014). Protecting Civilians in Refugee Camps: Unable and Unwilling States, UNHCR and International Responsibility. International Refugee Law Series 01. Part I Introduction pp 3-20. Jansen, Bram. (2016). ‘Digging Aid’: The Camp as an Option in East and the Horn of Africa. Journal of Refugee Studies. Vol. 29 Issue 2, p149-165. 17p Shannak, Lina. (2021). Water project in Zaatari helps refugees turn camp green. Jordan News. https://www.jordannews.jo/Section-125/All/Water-project-in-Zaatari-helps-refugees-turn-camp-green-7883 Sphere. (2018). The Sphere Handbook: Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Humanitarian Response. Sphere Association. Fourth Edition.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |