SHATILA REFUGEE CAMP

The Shatila camp is in southern Beirut, and was established in 1949 by the International Committee of the Red Cross to accommodate the hundreds of refugees who poured into the area from Amka, Majed al-Kroum and al-Yajour area villages in Northern Palestine after 1948.

The camp was devastated during the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon and was frequently targeted during the Lebanese Civil War, which resulted in the destruction of property and displacement of refugees.

Most of men work as labourers or run grocery stores, and women work as cleaners.

Environmental health conditions in Shatlia are extremely bad. Shelters are damp and overcrowded. Shelters often have open drains, and the sewerage system needs considerable expansion. An infrastructure project is currently being implemented in the camp to upgrade the sewage, the storm water system and the water network.

Registered Refugees:

• Total number: 8,645
• Average family size: 3.76

UNRWA Education Programme

• Schools: Two elementary schools
• Pupils: 618

UNRWA Relief and Social Services Programme

• Social Safety Net (SSN) Programme beneficiaries: 110 individuals
• Sponsors students with disabilities to attend specialized institutions; students with motor disabilities and visual impairments are streamlined in UNRWA schools.
• Provides children with disabilities psycho-therapy and covers rehabilitation services such as prosthetic and corrective devices.
• Recently assesed the shelters of students with disabilities mainstreamed in UNRWA schools.
• Provides access to loans

UNRWA Health Programme

• Health centre: 1
• Number of medical staff: 7, regularly visited by specialists in gynecology.
• Number of patient consultations per month: 1606

Community Services

• A number of local and international NGOs provide services in the camp. They provide cash assistance, health clinics, summer activities, kindergartens and rehabilitation centers.