In 3 years, camp for Syrian refugees grows into city
Site in Jordan is home to 81K exiles
ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan — Only empty desert three years ago, the Mideast’s largest camp for Syrian civil war refugees has grown from a town of tents into a bustling city.
The United Nations-administered camp plans water and sewage systems and a $20 million solar power plant, even ATMs for refugee aid payments.
But behind the plans is a cold reality for the 81,000 exiles living in the Zaatari Refugee Camp: The conflict back home, now its fifth year, won’t be over anytime soon.
Some deal with that reality by making the best of life in exile, such as the Zaatari high school senior who studied hard in cramped quarters to win a university scholarship, or the former farmer who planted a garden because he was tired of looking at the desert.
But dozens leave every week to go back to Syria, saying it’s better to risk death than live in limbo in a camp where jobs are few, a third of children don’t attend school and thousands of young adults lack the chance to learn a trade.
Zaatari, born out of necessity in the desert on July 28, 2012, is now the ninth-biggest city in Jordan, a stalwart U.S. ally. Today, this tiny kingdom hosts 629,000 Syrian refugees, out of a regional total of more than 4 million. More than 100,000 live in camps in Jordan, including 20,000 in the newer Azraq refugee camp, while the rest struggle to survive in cities with U.N. cash and food assistance.
International agencies had to reduce aid amid severe funding shortages, and further cuts were announced Friday. Urban refugees soon could face the choice of moving into a camp where life is cheaper — only Azraq is taking newcomers — or returning to Syria.
On Zaatari’s anniversary this past week, the transformation from tent camp to city symbolizes the failure of rival world powers to negotiate an end Syria’s war. But some say it’s also a reminder that the shift from emergency aid to long-term solutions, such as setting up a water network to replace expensive delivery by truck, should have come much sooner.
“We simply wasted too much money because we didn’t think long-term,” said former Zaatari boss Kilian Kleinschmidt.
In Zaatari, one money-saver, the solar power plant, won’t be ready before the end of 2016. Until last year, the U.N. paid a $1 million a month for electricity in Zaatari, where residents run cables from pre-fabricated shelters and shops to a grid intended only for street lighting. The camp boss has reduced costs by turning off power during daylight hours.
Some try to make the most of life in exile. Jumma al-Sheik planted corn, tomatoes, mint and pink althea flowers outside his compound. It’s become a popular gathering spot for relatives to drink sweet tea and chat.
Al-Sheik and family members fled Eastern Ghouta, a Damascus suburb, after chemical attacks by the Syrian government two years ago. Fighting destroyed their homes.
Al-Sheik, who farmed five acres of vegetables in Syria, said the garden “makes everything a little better.”