R E F U G E E S

Maghazi Refugee Camp

Maghazi Camp is located in the center of the Gaza Strip south of Bureij Camp. It was established in 1949 on 0.6 km2 to shelter 9,000 people who had fled from villages in central and southern Palestine.

Population:

  • Total population is 47,812 persons (31 December 2008). Among them 23,981 are in the camp and 23,831 are living outside the camp.

  • The camp houses 4.45 per cent of Gaza’s total refugee population.

UNRWA Education Programme:

  • UNRWA operates seven schools in four school buildings in the camp, four elementary and three preparatory. Three schools are run on double-shift system.

  • Enrollments in the current academic year 2008/2009 totals 6206.

  • The total number of class sections is 166 among them 105 classes in the elementary schools and 61 classes in the preparatory schools

  • The total number of teachers is 222, 127 female teachers and 95 male teachers

UNRWA Relief and Social Services Programme:

  • A total of 659 families (2877 people) residing in the camp are eligible for relief assistance under the Agency’s special hardship program.

  • The number of families classified as living in abject poverty and receiving Family Income Supplement is 262. There are 1,984 people classified as living in abject poverty.

  • There is one distribution centre in the camp, shared with Deir Al Balah Camp.

  • 161 families are having their shelters rehabilitated as part of the Social Safety Net (SSN) programme. Among them 145 are in the camp and 16 are outside the camp.

  • As part of its social services programme, UNRWA is sponsoring one Women’s Program Centre in the camp

UNRWA Microfinance programme:

  • Through its Small-scale Enterprise Credit Product, the agency has extended loans with a combined value of US$ 450,800 to 22 borrowers residing in the camp, among them producers of biscuit, bricks, marble, plastics, owners of pickling, nuts, and meat processing plants, two aluminum workshops, and a restaurant, an upholsterer and plumber.

  • Through its Solidarity Group Lending Product, the Agency Loans has made loans totaling US$ 458,786.00 to 816 women from the camp.

  • Through its Micro-enterprise Credit Product, loans totaling US$ 1,043,653.00 were given to the owners of 1,246 micro-enterprises.

  • Through its Consumer-lending product, the Agency has issued 67 loans valued at US$ 60,300.00

  • Through its Housing loan product the Microfinance Department has issued 14 loans valued at US$79,800.00.

UNRWA Health Programme:

  • The Agency's health centre in the camp is staffed by 26 health care workers assigned to a morning shift.

  • It provides outpatient, dental, maternal-child health, family planning clinics as well as a laboratory and pharmacy.

  • In 2008, an average of 10,715 consultations is held there each month.

UNRWA Emergency Programme:

  • Al Maghazi Camp and Deir Al Balah Camp are sharing in the same distribution centre, Emergency Offices and JCP Offices.

UNRWA Environmental Health:

A sanitation Office staffed with 21 employees takes care of daily collection of refuse, cleaning of roads and alleys, transporting the refuse from the camp to municipal landfill sites and rodents and insect control; monitoring water supply through chemical and bacteriological testing and operating petrol water pumps to pump storm water from the flooded area during the rainy season.

UNRWA Engineering & Construction Services Department:

There are 4 maintenance offices in the camp that offer maintenance works for all UNRWA installations.