Jaramana camp is 8km from Damascus on the road to Damascus International Airport.
The camp was established in 1948 on an area of 0.03 square kilometres. In 1967, Palestinians who had taken refuge in the Golan Heights and were displaced as a result of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war moved into the camp.
Jaramana’s main problem and concern is the demolition of shelters by the government due to construction of a highway to Jaramana.
This also affects UNRWA’s installations. Parts of the community centre, health centre, sanitation office, the newly installed sewerage network, urban development projects and schools have been vacated.
A large number of refugee families were moved either to the nearby new government housing project at al-Husseineh or in shelters in the nearby villages and camps.
Many of the refugees are street vendors, while others work in nearby industrial plants. Some inhabitants find work in the informal sector through collecting garbage for recycling. The majority of women are domestic workers in Damascus to supplement family income.
Statistics
- More than 18,658 registered refugees
- Six double-shift schools
- One food distribution centre
- One health centre
- One community centre
- Demographic profile:
Programmes in the camp
Major problems
- Lack of access to loans
- Shelters need upgrading
- High unemployment rate
- Education level decreasing
- Marriage between relatives
- Widespread early marriage and divorce
- Relocated refugees living in rented houses
- Lack of compensation for refugees whose shelters were demolished
- Exposure to disease from scavenging through discarded materials.
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