Into the Cold in Syria
Nearly three years of conflict have devastated Syria, taking thousands of lives and crippling the country's systems. Palestine refugees have not been spared, and as they face the third winter of violence, displacement and hardship, the outlook seems terribly bleak. More than half of the over 500,000 Palestine refugees in Syria have had to leave their homes, entering what is for many a second exile. Around 270,000 remain within Syria itself, the majority in Damascus, but there are more than 50,000 in Lebanon and over 10,000 in Jordan.
Wherever they have sought safety - in collective shelters in Syria, in the overcrowded Palestine refugee camps in Lebanon, in urban areas in Jordan - Palestine refugees remain vulnerable. In many cases, they enter a precarious legal limbo and incredibly difficult living conditions that winter, bringing with it cold and snow and wind, will only make worse.
These stories of Palestine refugees from Syria highlight the courage and the resilience of a community facing incredible challenges. To read more about the difficulties they face - and to find out how you can help #GiveWrap this winter - click here
Damascus in the snow, December 2013. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
The winter storm that hit the Middle East in early December highlighted the difficulties facing Palestine refugees living in war-torn Syria. Damascus was not spared the effects of the weather
A destroyed facade in the Kassa'a neighbourhood of Damascus, March 2012. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
The war in Syria is devastating the lives of Syrians, as well as the over half a million Palestine refugees who had found safe exile in Syria for six decades. Their particular vulnerabilities and their sensitive status in the region compound the extreme hardship that Palestine refugees are sharing with Syrians.
Jaramana camp, December 2013. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
Jaramana, a Palestine refugee camp in the suburbs of Damascus, has witnessed an influx of newly displaced Palestine refugees fleeing violence in other parts of Syria; displacement is proportionally much higher among Palestinians than it is among Syrians. Throughout the country, the outlook for Palestine refugees is growing increasingly bleak, as the communities, livelihoods, assets and support networks painstakingly built over the decades are destroyed.
Al-Rameh collective shelter, Jaramana, December 2013. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
Of the 540,000 Palestine refugees in Syria registered with UNRWA, around 270,000 are now displaced within Syria itself. Having had to flee their homes and communities, they have been forced into a pattern of repetitive, lengthy and traumatic displacement, as conflict lines shift and engulf areas that were once considered safe.
Al-Rameh collective shelter, Jaramana, December 2013. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
Twenty-year-old Amani Mahmoud and her family live in a tent in al-Rameh ever since they left Yarmouk. In November 2012, Amani was walking with her aunt on al-Hijaz Street in Damascus when a mortar hit the area. Amani survived, albeit with injuries to her stomach, but her aunt died.
Jaramana, December 2013. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
As her father pushes her towards the living room, 5-year-old Aya remembers that she was on her way home from school with her sister when a mortar hit them. "I was wearing my brown shoes. The shoe just flew and my leg flew with it. I lost my leg, my leg has gone," she remembers. Her father, Mowafaq, 34, adds: "I never thought my children or my family would be a victim or get hurt. But when the mortar hit my girls, I felt the earth move under my feet, I felt so weak and sad."
In the ongoing violence, bystanders like these remain at great risk. With 9 of its 17 centers for women and rehabilitation, UNRWA attempts to serve the most vulnerable members of surrounding communities, including victims of sexual- or gender-based violence and people with disabilities.
Al-Rameh collective shelter, Jaramana, December 2013. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
The al-Rameh collective shelter in Jaramana camp is now home to 153 families, 93 per cent of whom are Palestine refugees UNRWA estimates that around 52,000 Palestine refugee homes have been damaged in the nearly three years of conflict. In 18 Agency facilities in Syria, we provide shelter to 8,100 displaced Palestine refugees and a small number of Syrians, and we support more than 3,500 Palestine refugees in 13 non-UNRWA facilities in Damascus, Aleppo and Latakia.
Al-Rameh collective shelter, Jaramana, December 2013. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
At 74, suffering from high blood pressure and heart problems, Subhyeh Nofali lives in a tent in the al-Rameh shelter with three of her sons and their families. In total, there are 17 people in the tent, including 10 children, like the grandson sitting next to her as he does his homework.
Al-Rameh collective shelter, Jaramana, December 2013. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
Kareem, 2, now lives in a tent with 18 other members of his family.
Al-Rameh collective shelter, Jaramana, December 2013. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
These Palestine refugee women from Hosseinieh wash a carpet in the al-Rameh collective shelter in Jaramana. The poor and vulnerable in Syria - including the vast majority of Palestine refugees - have exhausted their savings in the past years of conflict, even as prices for goods and services have surged. UNRWA has adapted existing programmes and emergency work to help support them. For example, the Agency's microfinance program provides loans to microenterprises and to poor and displaced households. Through microloans, it also supports income-generating activities for women.
UNRWA warehouse, Damascus, November 2013. © Taghrid Mohammad/UNRWA Archives
These workers are packing food that forms part of the Agency's assistance for Palestine refugees. Cash remains the primary vehicle for assistance, but the importance of in-kind assistance like this will grow as constraints to financial delivery services increase.
Jaramana, December 2013. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
UNRWA in-kind assistance includes food, hygiene kits, non-food items and winterization kits. The recent storm only emphasized the importance of winter items like blankets and mattresses, like those being distributed here.
UNRWA health centre, Alliance, Damascus, December 2013. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
Of 23 UNRWA health centres in Syria, 13 have closed their doors. To make up for the loss, UNRWA has opened eight health points in collective centres, where refugees can access free primary and mother-and-child health care - like this child, receiving a vaccination.
In the fall of 2013, UNRWA worked with the authorities and charitable organizations to vaccinate Palestine refugee children under 5 against polio, mumps, measles and rubella in order to curb the spread of the kinds of communicable childhood diseases that are increasing with the breakdown of water and sanitation infrastructure.
Jaramana, December. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
Dina Khalifa, whose husband died seven years ago, is now a single mother of six. Hers is one of 25,000 female-headed households that along with other vulnerable groups - the elderly living alone, young children and people with disabilities - represents 30 per cent of the total population of Palestine refugees in Syria.
Dina receives support from UNRWA, but life is still difficult. Electricity cuts mean her family often sits in the dark, using candles and a little fuel for heating. She is concerned about her children, especially her teenage sons. When her children depart for school in the morning, she worries about their welfare constantly, resting only when they return home in the evening.
Jaramana, December. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
Education is the largest UNRWA programme. It has been severely affected by the conflict - 18 UNRWA school buildings have been converted into collective shelters for displaced Palestinians and Syrians, while a further 68 are damaged or inaccessible. Nonetheless, in the 2013/14 school year, UNRWA enrolled 47,000 of its total 66,000 student population in Syria.
Jaramana, December. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
Displaced from her home in Yarmouk, 10-year-old Gharam now lives and goes to school in Jaramana. Because there are no more chairs available, she is sitting on the floor in the cold to take her exam. She says she loves school and intends to keep studying for as long as she can, despite the many challenges, including frequent power outages and lack of heat. With many UNRWA schools closed, the Ministry of Education has opened 43 of its own for the Agency to use in the afternoons.
Jaramana, December. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
Displacement separates children not just from their homes, but also from their schools. Now, the number of UNRWA students in classrooms set up for 45 can range from 50 to 80. In the fall of 2013, UNRWA hired 39 psychosocial counsellors to help students and parents. The Agency has also developed a range of self-learning materials for students who cannot come to school because of the conflict, along with education programmes and support lessons broadcast on the Agency's Gaza-based satellite station and posted on YouTube.
Jaramana, December. © Carole Alfarah/UNRWA Archives
Aya's father describes his "spoiled little girl," saying, "When I look at her now, I feel a deep pain in my heart. I remember how she used to run to me when I came home from work, squealing, 'Dad is here, Dad is here!' I miss those moments so much - they were the source of my happiness."
Untold hardship and widespread displacement have by now overwhelmed most of the Palestinian communities and camps in Syria. Despite the challenges, UNRWA is building on the experiences of the past two years to continue helping Palestine refugees survive the extreme conditions imposed on them by the conflict. But as it enters its third year, UNRWA renews its appeals to all parties to act in accordance with international law, particularly as regards the protection of Syrian and Palestinian civilians. It is now more urgent than ever to acknowledge the futility of violence as a means to resolve political differences and to seek a negotiated, peaceful end to the hostilities.