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BURJ
EL-BARAJNEH REFUGEE CAMP

Burj el-Barajneh camp is situated near Beirut International Airport
in south Beirut. It was established by the League of Red Cross
Societies in 1948 to accommodate Palestinian refugees from the Galilee
in northern Palestine.
The camp suffered extensive property damage and displacement of
nearly a quarter of its population during the years of civil conflict.
The men mainly work as casual labourers or manual workers and women
find work in sewing factories and as cleaners.
UNRWA, with support from ECHO rehabilitated 2 shelters in 2003 for
refugee families registered as special hardship cases and non SHCs.
FACTS AND FIGURES
- There are 20, 405 registered Palestine refugees;
- 500 families of 1630 persons are registered as S.H.Cs.
- One UNRWA health centre with an average of 168 patients per day;
- Seven UNRWA elementary/preparatory schools for 2,511 enrolled
pupils in 2003/2004;
One community managed women's programme centre that runs
skill-training courses, literacy for women and tutoring classes for
students, organizes awareness raising sessions on health, social, legal,
human rights and gender issues and coordinates with local NGOs to
respond to community needs. Income generation loans and group guaranteed
lending are also provided to women.
In addition to the facilities UNRWA provides, a number of NGOs are
active in Burj el-Barajneh, including the Palestinian Martyrs'
Association, Ghassan Kanafani Cultural Foundation, Najdeh, Al-Ina'sh,
Beit Atfal Al-Soumoud and the Palestinian Red Crescent Society. Women's
Humanitarian Organization, Brotherhood Institution for Social Education.
The Disability Programme carried out needs assessment for the local KGs
in coordination with the Women's Humanitarian Organization and Norwegian
People's Aid to identify children with special needs enrolled in the KGs
for further necessary intervention. The inhabitants of the camp have
access to the RSSD loan and soft loan schemes.
Figures as of 31 December 2003
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