BAQA'A REFUGEE CAMP

Baqa'a camp was one of six "emergency" camps set up in 1968 to accommodate Palestine refugees and displaced persons who left the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a result of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. The camp, which is the largest in Jordan, is situated about 20 km north of Amman.

Between June 1967 and February 1968, the refugees and displaced persons were housed in temporary camps in the Jordan valley, but had to be moved when military operations escalated in the area. When Baqa'a was set up it was already a large camp with 5,000 tents for 26,000 refugees on an area of about 1.4 square kilometres.

Due to the harsh winters in Jordan UNRWA replaced the tents with 8,048 prefabricated shelters between 1969-1971 with special contributions from the Federal Republic of Germany. Most of the camp's inhabitants have since then constructed more durable concrete shelters to replace the prefabs.

UNRWA provides education, health and relief and social services through 23 installations operated by 688 Agency staff.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• There are 90,953 registered refugees;

• UNRWA runs 16 schools for 15,659 enrolled pupils in 2006/2007, with a teaching staff of 525. The schools run on a double shift basis in 8 school buildings;

• The Agency runs two clinics and one mother-and-child health care clinic staffed by 10 doctors, 3 dentists, and 59 nurses and assistants for about 1,300 patients daily;

• 4,213 refugees receive special assistance through the Agency's special hardship case programme;

• Two women's programme centres run courses in sewing, hairdressing, computers, internet, physical fitness, English language, legal consultancy and handicrafts. These centres, in addition to one kindergarten and one nursery, are run by local women's committees with financial and technical support from UNRWA;

• UNRWA supports the work of the community rehabilitation centre which provides facilities for 350 refugees with disabilities.

Non-Agency institutions in the camp include two sports clubs and 20 charitable societies.