Zarqa Camp

Zarqa camp is the oldest Palestine refugee camp in Jordan. One of the four camps established in the country to accommodate the refugees who left Palestine as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, it was set up near the town of Zarqa by the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1949. It originally housed 8,000 refugees in an area of 0.18 square kilometres.

UNRWA later replaced the original tents with concrete shelters and over the years the refugees have made improvements and added more rooms. The camp now resembles other urban quarters in Zarqa.

MAJOR CHALLENGES

Poverty is one of the main challenges facing camp residents. According to a 2013 FaFo report, 19 per cent of Palestine refugees living in Zarqa camp have a monthly income that is below the national poverty line of JD 814.

According to the same report, Zarqa camp is one of two camps ranked second of the ten Palestine refugee camps in Jordan in terms of the prevalence of people with chronic health problems, standing at 15 per cent. In addition, 68 per cent of Palestine refugees in Zarqa camp are uninsured.