UNRWA Advisory Commission SubCommitteeField Visit
Jordan, 09 April 2014
9:00Briefing by Mr. Roger Davies, Director of UNRWA Operations, Jordan at Jordan Field Office
9:30Departure from Jordan Field Office
10:30 – 10:45Arrive Jerash Camp
Arrival to the Camp Services Committee Office and introductory briefings byMr. Waleed Hijjawi, Chief Area Officer Irbidand Mr. Mahmoud Aqrabawi, Director-General of Department of Palestinian Affairs (DPA). Representatives of the Camp Service Committee will also attend at the briefing.
Jerash camp was established as an emergency camp in 1968 for 11,500 Palestine refugees and displaced persons who left the Gaza strip as a result to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. It is known locally as Gaza camp. UNRWA provides services to the 27,064 refugees registered in the camp.
Palestinians who fled from Gaza (referred to as ex-Gazans) were not granted Jordanian citizenship and live under a different legal and policy framework.While ex-Gazans are entitled to hold temporary, two-year Jordanian passports, they do not hold a national ID number. Without a national ID number, there are a number of services and professions to which they have limited or no access, including the Jordanian National Aid Fund (poverty support), university scholarships, government health insurance, the majority of positions in the public sector and professions such as dentistry and legal practice.
Jerash has the highest poverty rate among Palestine refugee camps in Jordan, with 53 per cent reporting income below the national poverty line.
10:45 –11:30Living conditions, housing and infrastructure in the camp
Walking tour in Jerash camp withMr. Khattab Boshnak, Chief Field Camp Improvement Project, and discussion with refugee representatives to hear their views on improving conditions in the camp.
The tour will highlight the challenges of the living conditions in Jerash, which are greater among refugees inside rather than outside the camp. Though conditions have improved over time, three out of four shelters remain unsuitable as accommodation due to structural problems.Camp dwellings more often contain temporary building materials, are more frequently poorly ventilated and exposed to humidity and are insufficiently insulated. Many roofs are made of corrugated zinc and
asbestos sheets, which can result in health problems including cancer. Twenty four per cent of households in Jerash camp are classified as crowded (three or more people per room) There are also challenges with regard to the outdoor living environment, as well as crime, violence and drug use.
11:30 – 12:00Environmental Health and Solid Waste Management
The walking tour will give an overview on environmental health in the camp. Currently, DPA is replacing the open sewage system in Jerash camp with a hygienic, underground system.Jerash camp is the only remaining one in Jordan that does not have an underground sewage network. Sewage water runs through open canals all around the camp and is leading to sanitary hazards and diseases among the residents of the camp.
12:00 – 12:30Poverty and unemployment
Discussion at the new Microfinance branch office in Jerash with Mr. Victor Siriany, Chief Field Microfinance Programme
Unemployment is higher in Jerash camp compared to other Palestine refugee camps in Jordan. 15 per cent of females and 16 per cent of males are unemployed. The likelihood of being a poor Palestinian refugee increases with household size, chronic health failure, low education attainment, and unemployment.Some Palestinian refugees are faced with constraints in the Jordan labour market. The visit to the newly established branch will illustrate some services provided to tackle unemployment in Jerash. Thebranch provides loans to economically marginalized groups, targeting micro entrepreneurs, small employees, as well as women who are working from home to supplement family income. The opening of the microfinance branch is crucial in Jerash camp and for ex-Gazans, as it grants loans also for people without a national ID.
12:30– 13:30Travel to Irbid camp
Lunch will be provided on the bus
Irbid camp was one of the four camps established in Jordan for refugees who left Palestine as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. UNRWA’s installations in Irbid provide services to the 26,635 refugees registered in the camp.
13:30 – 14:30Health services and hospitalization
Dr. Ishtaiwi Abu-Zayed, Chief Field Health Programme, will brief on cramped working conditions and how this has affected an overstretched service.Dr. Abu-Zayed will speak about this practical example of resource rationalization at Irbid Health Centre.
UNRWA is the dominant provider of primary health care in camps as well as to those residing outside camps, particular for the poorest. UNRWA health services are generally well perceived, but less so than public and private services. Understaffing is a particular concern. Merging of the two former health centres into one two-storey health centre has resulted in savings that will be used to open a new health centre in a poor and underserved area in Zarqa.
The use of health services varies according to place of residence, income level and access to health insurance. Access to health insurance is linked to participation in the labour market, with people working in the private sector or family businesses the least likely to be insured.
14:30 – 15:30Challenges of Youth and Unemployment
Discussion with the chief of TVET programme, Dr Oroba Labadi, and some TVET beneficiaries on the challenges of the youth and unemployment situation in Jordan, and the importance of the TVET programme.
Although living conditions in Irbid are constantly improving, challenges include high unemployment (19 per cent female and 13 per cent male unemployment) and high population density. The relative importance of professional work and management jobs has increased for women since the 1990s. Palestinian refugees are less represented in the public sector.
UNRWA Technical and Vocational Training provides youth with training and skills that they can use to support themselves financially through paid employment. UNRWA follows continuously the labour market to ensure that the training that is provided is relevant for the youth. The study plans are very flexible and can easily be adapted to the needs of the labour market. 25 per cent of the places are given to vulnerable groups, including the poorest of the poor youth, ex-Gazans, Jordanian National Aid Fund beneficiaries as well as Social and Safety Net families. UNRWA has also provided scholarships, transportation and room for students from Irbid Camp to participate in short vocational training courses implemented in UNRWA's training centres in Amman.
15:30Travel to Amman
1