Resilience amidst uncertainty: A glimpse into the lives of Zaatari refugees
Nestled in dryland, the Zaatari Refugee Camp has evolved into a bustling ‘city’ since its establishment in 2012. Now, a swelling second generation is rising in the camp’s busy streets, with more than 55 percent of its inhabitants.
As the camp's population burgeoned with people unwilling to leave this “city,” its resources have been strained to the limit, underscoring the urgent need for continued support. A recent study shows that 97 percent of Syrian refugees in Jordan, do not want to return home in the coming 12 months.
The camp, spanning an area of 5.3 square kilometers, has transformed into a haven for approximately 83,000 refugees residing in 12 different districts. Here you can buy anything from Damascus sweets to brides’ gowns, adorning the facades of hastily erected shops along the sides of “Sham Elysees.”
Despite the harsh living conditions, families strive to create a semblance of normalcy. Children go to schools, eager to learn, while open markets provide a lifeline for the community. Bicycles and donkeys navigate the sandy paths, serving as the primary means of transportation within the camp’s grid.
-- An overnight stay in Zaatari --
Roya's Dana Sharayri spent a night with Um Ali’s family, immersed in their day-to-day life and reality. Sitting in a room with three mattresses where they sleep, eat, and study, Sharayri listened to their story.
In February 2014, Um Ali, a Syrian mother, arrived at the Zaatari camp with her husband and their three children– Ritaj, Zamzam, and Ali. Their arduous journey took them through 28 grueling days on the road, enduring freezing temperatures with little more than their determination to survive. Leaving behind everything they held dear, Um Ali's heart brimmed with gratitude as she knelt on the camp's soil, thanking God for their safety.
The family members spoke about their dreams and aspirations while sharing a delicious Syrian dinner and a traditional Middle Eastern breakfast the next morning.
Ritaj, 15, harbors an unyielding determination to become a lawyer. Driven by a deep-rooted desire to amplify the woes of the voiceless, she dreams of fighting for justice in a world that often turns a deaf ear to the marginalized.
Zamzam, 14, envisions herself as a detective or a journalist. Despite all the challenges, this resilient girl remains full of life and unwavering in her spirit.
Ali, 11, has a different aspiration. “I want to be an engineer working in a company and then one day become the owner of the company,” he said.
For Um Ali, the well-being and education of her children remain paramount. Despite nearly a decade in the camp, she admits that it has never truly felt like home. Memories of Syria, tainted by the sound of bullets and the absence of basic necessities, continue to haunt her family's collective consciousness. The specter of danger, however, still looms over their homeland, leaving Um Ali with no choice but to find solace in the camp's safety.
“We don't know what tomorrow holds for us,” sighs Um Ali. “But we know that God is with us.”
As Ritaj recalled her memories from Syria, her eyes filled with a mix of pain and resilience. “Most of the memories I have are of the war (..) the sound of bullets still echoes in my mind,” she whispers, instinctively covering her ears.
Ritaj also remembers “the four days we spent on “Al-Sater;” a demilitarized berm between Jordan and Syria, a no man's land.
“We had nothing—no clothes, no blankets, and no food” during these four days. “We had to go and find Khobbeizeh (a wild plant, from the same family as hibiscus and mallows), cook it, and eat it without salt or bread,” Ritaj recalls.
They spent one week sleeping inside a mosque while on their way to Jordan as they lost their way.
Ritaj, Zamzam, and Ali may have been born in Syria, but the Zaatari camp became the backdrop of most of their memories.
“Most of my memories are here in this camp,” Ritaj says.
Um Ali explains that when they first arrived at the camp, they were placed in tents and then given caravans.
“We started with nothing. We used to struggle a lot,” Um Ali adds.
As a family of five, they got one caravan. Families with more than five members get a maximum of two caravans.
Afterward, they began charting their new life. “We bought our first gas canister. We then expanded this metal caravan,” Um Ali says.
Their caravan now contains two rooms – a living room, and a bathroom attached to a kitchen.
But despite these painful memories, Ritaj says she still remembers the beauty of Syria. “I was in kindergarten playing with my friends when my dad surprised me with a new red school bag.”
With a bitter smile on her face and a tear in her eye, she adds: “I also remember when my cousins and I were sitting on a swing in my grandfather’s house.”
-- Limited basic amenities --
In a small room, Ritaj, Zamzam, and Ali - top students in their school - diligently study one after the other within their allocated slots to ensure they do not disturb each other's concentration. Their resilience is just a glimpse into the larger educational landscape of the camp, where over half (55 percent) of the population is under 18. The camp houses 32 schools operating in two shifts. They accommodate girls from 8:00 am to 11:30 am and boys from 12:00 pm to 3:30 pm. With a staff of 1,200 Jordanian teachers hailing from different governorates, in addition to assistant teachers employed from within the Syrian refugees in the camp, the responsibility for education rests with UNICEF and the Ministry of Education (MoE).
The dream of pursuing higher education hangs in the balance for the camp's talented students. With an alarmingly limited number of scholarships available, their aspirations often face insurmountable obstacles. Last year, out of more than 400 students who took the Tawjihi exam, and the 20 who achieved high results, only four secured scholarships to enroll in universities.
Most of the refugees are grappling with frequent electricity cut-offs and water scarcity. Access to electricity is limited to a mere nine hours per day, leaving the inhabitants in uncertainty for the majority of their time. Rotating water supplies arrive once every nine days, amounting to a meager three times a month.
In a survey conducted by the UNHCR, 30 percent of households in Zaatari said the water supply was not enough to cover all their needs.
And with only eight medical facilities in the camp, accessing medical care poses a challenge. Refugees sometimes face prolonged waiting times of several months for their scheduled appointments.
The difficulty refugees encounter in accessing appropriate medical care and securing appointments is exemplified by Um Ali's experience. In 2018, Um Ali found herself raising her three children alone after her husband passed away from a cardiac arrest during the Eid holiday.
The lack of available surgery options during the holiday resulted in his passing after returning to the camp.
Um Ali recalls: “When my husband passed away, I hugged them [her children] tight as I didn’t want them to feel the pain.”
“But I took all the pain in.”
Um Ali's pain turned out to be much deeper than anticipated when her sister sought refuge in their caravan for a month and a half following the devastating loss of her own in a fire.
The complexity of her family's situation unfolded as Um Ali revealed that she has four brothers and four sisters. One of her brothers passed away. Another brother currently resides in the Emirati-Jordanian Camp, while a third brother remains in Syria to provide assistance to their parents in Daraa.
Additionally, one of her sisters is located in the Zaatari camp, another in the Emirati camp, and one sister still resides in Syria. The dispersed nature of her family further compounds the emotional burden Um Ali carries.
-- Jobs inside the camp --
Um Ali began looking for a job after completing the four-month Iddah – a 130-days waiting period for women following the death of their husband or getting a divorce. It serves to determine pregnancy and allows emotional and social adjustment.
“It took nearly a year for me to find a job,” she said.
Um Ali works in the camp as part of Oxfam’s IBV (Incentive-Based Volunteering) program. Under this program, refugees contribute their services for a period of six months, followed by a one-year break, after which they have the opportunity to apply for another term. Um Ali works five days a week, from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.
Oxfam is responsible for waste management in the Zaatari camp and provides temporary employment opportunities to refugees, including roles in waste collection, recycling, and community engagement. They operate two recycling facilities within the camp and have created over 10,000 income-generating opportunities for refugees in Zaatari in recent years through cash-for-work programs.
The Zaatari camp boasts approximately 1,200 shops that extend nearly three kilometers along its bustling 'Sham Elysees.' This name, derived from Syrians' use of “ash-Sham” for Damascus and the famous Parisian boulevard, perfectly encapsulates the lively spirit of the camp.
Notably, all residents inside the camp receive JD 23 (USD 32) monthly from the World Food Program (WFP) through blockchain technology to cover their food needs. The blockchain is used to improve the efficiency of WFP’s food assistance programs. It tracks the funds owed to refugees and updates the amount owed to vendors when purchases are made.
-- For over a decade, adapting remains an issue --
Speaking about the daily challenges this family faces in the camp, Um Ali said that she is still not able to adapt.
“The dust here, the hot weather, and the list go on…”
Despite the new life they have created for themselves, they face challenges every day. And of course, with the hot weather, the metal caravans, the refugees' only shelter, transform into unbearable saunas under the scorching sun. And in winter, it doesn’t get any better, as these caravans leak and many are forced to be evacuated to nearby caravans.
Additionally, studying in schools during summer is a challenge, as it gets extremely hot in classes and students struggle to concentrate.
-- Stray dogs --
Sitting over the shared dinner, Ritaj recalled the time stray dogs stopped her from going to the dentist.
She said that on the first day of this year’s Ramadan, she started having a toothache.
“I couldn’t go see a dentist. Why? Because I can’t walk alone to the hospital as the road is full of stray dogs.”
Ritaj also revealed that she, along with her sister and other girls, always walks together out of fear of stray dogs.
Pointing her finger at the window, Ritaj said: “Look, this is the road we take to school. It’s full of stray dogs.”
When asked why authorities are not responding to the stray dogs' situation, a camp employee said that the Zaatari camp is located and surrounded by desert.
“If we get rid of the stray dogs spreading in the area, new ones will come,” the employee said.
-- Um Ali’s message to the world --
Um Ali's message to the world is a powerful reminder of the importance of gratitude, perseverance, and compassion.
With an unwavering belief in the potential of individuals, she emphasized the significance of being thankful for what one has while also striving to achieve their dreams, even in the face of adversity.
“Always be thankful for what you have and work on following your dreams,” Um Ali said.
-- Over 660,000 UNHCR-registered Syrian refugees in Jordan --
The Syrian conflict has led to a significant number of refugees seeking safety in neighboring countries, including Jordan. There are approximately 660,000 UNHCR-registered Syrian refugees in Jordan, though the actual number may be higher. In response to the ongoing crisis, organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the World Food Program (WFP) have worked to provide aid and support to Syrian refugees in Jordan. Many Syrians have found shelter in refugee camps such as Zaatari, Azraq, and the Emirati-Jordanian camp which offer essential services including education, healthcare, and food assistance. Despite these efforts, the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan continues to be a complex and ongoing challenge.
The Zaatari was the first Syrian refugee camp to be established, followed by the Emirati-Jordanian camp which was opened in 2013, and then the Azraq in 2014 in response to overcrowding at Zaatari. Also, the Garden camp 'Al-Hadiqa,’ was established in 2012, according to the UNHCR.
In 2012, a group of 450 Syrians escaped the violence in their country and entered neighboring Jordan through the desert at night. This marked the beginning of the Zaatari refugee camp, where they became its first residents.
Within a year, the population of the camp surged to 120,000 people. The initial tents were gradually replaced with thousands of metal shelters. The camp infrastructure expanded to include roads, schools, hospitals, and even small businesses operated by refugees.
Now, a decade since its establishment, the population of Zaatari has stabilized at around 83,000 people. It remains the largest refugee camp in the Middle East and one of the world's largest, serving as a poignant symbol of the ongoing Syrian refugee crisis.
The Emirati-Jordanian camp houses approximately 6,737 refugees, while the Azraq camp houses 45,045 refugees and the Al-Hadiqa camp hosts approximately 307 Palestinian-Syrian refugees.
The majority of the remaining Syrian refugees are located in Jordan's urban areas, with significant concentrations in Amman (196,655), Irbid (129,177), and Mafraq (85,591), according to the UNHCR.
