Jordan is a small country with limited natural resources. Much of its landscape is arid desert, with only 4% of land suitable for agriculture. Water supplies in Jordan are scarce. The UN has predicted that water shortages will be the country’s biggest problem within the next five years.
For almost 50 years Jordan has been a safe haven for Palestinian refugees. Palestinians make up over 35% of Jordan’s population according to official figures, but refugee agencies estimate that over half of all Jordanians are of Palestinian origin.
Since 2003 Jordan has also been home to an increasing number of Iraqi refugees. The UN estimates that there are between 500,000 and 700,000 Iraqi refugees living in and around the capital, Amman.
Palestinian Refugees
Jordan is home to more Palestinian refugees than any other country in the world. A total of 1.74 million Palestinians have been registered by UNRWA, the UN Palestinian refugee agency. Over 307,700 refugees live in ten refugee camps across Jordan.
Baqa’a, the Middle East’s largest refugee camp, was originally set up as a temporary settlement and is now home to 120,000 Palestinian refugees. Baqa’a camp is a maze of narrow streets and alleyways. People live in small, overcrowded buildings with poor ventilation.
Open sewage channels and cracked drainage pipes contribute to the spread of disease and attract rats and other vermin to the camp. There is no system of waste disposal so many people use the bus station as a dumping-ground and there are piles of decomposing rubbish on Baqa’a’s streets.
Access to healthcare is also poor in Baqa’a. There are not enough doctors in the camp to treat the number of patients that visit the health centres. Some patients wait for hours to see a doctor, which can lead to their condition worsening. The scarcity of medicine in the camp often forces refugees to go to expensive private pharmacies.
Islamic Relief in Jordan
In 1997 IR extended the Orphans Sponsorship Programme to Jordan. Hundreds of orphans have benefited from the programme over the years and more than 300 Palestinian orphans are currently being sponsored by donors all over world.
IR also carries out seasonal Ramadhan and Qurbani projects in Jordan in partnership with a local organisation. These food distributions have helped around 25,000 people so far.
Projects
Orphans Welfare Programme |
