KHAN DANNOUN REFUGEE CAMP

Khan Dannoun camp is situated near the ruins of Khan Dannoun, which was built several centuries ago to give overnight accommodation to trading caravans on the ancient route between Jerusalem and Constantinople (modern day Istanbul). In 1948, the ruins provided shelter for refugees from villages in northern Palestine.

The camp, which is 23 kilometres south of Damascus, was officially established in 1950-1951 on an area of 25,000 square meters.

Khan Dannoun is one of the poorest camps in Syria. The majority of the refugees are farm workers on Syrian-owned lands; others are wage labourers, while a few commute to industrial plants. Many families have difficulty in meeting even their most basic needs. The pressure on young people to leave school early to contribute to the family income means there is generally a low level of education in the camp. This is especially true for women, who find jobs as house cleaners or workers in clothing factories.

There is a relatively high incidence of illnesses associated with poor environmental health conditions, and a high incidence of inherited diseases such as thalassaemia (sickle-cell anaemia). This is difficult to combat because in such a poor community marriage between first cousins is common and marriage outside the extended family is unaffordable for many.

UNRWA's main priority is to upgrade the water network in the camp.

In 2000, UNRWA was able to construct a conveyor sewer line from the camp to the municipal treatment plant in the Kisweh municipality with a contribution from the European Commission, but parts of the camp’s newly populated area are still without a sewerage system.

In 2000, UNRWA was also able to carry out a feasibility study for the provision of water to the camp with funds from the Government of Switzerland. Detailed designs for the new water supply funded by the Government of Canada were completed in June 2001. Negotiations for the financing of the implementation phase, worth €8 million, have been successful between the Syrian Government, UNRWA and the European Commission. This will include laying a new water-distribution network, connecting households to the main network, waste water collection system and road pavement. The current project aims to serve Palestinian refugee camps of Khan Dannoun and Khan Eshieh camps together with 14 adjacent Syrian towns with improved sustainable water supply and wastewater services. The regional project components will be co-financed by the Syrian Government and loan from the European Investment Bank at a cost of €90 million.

FACTS AND FIGURES

• On 31 December 2006, there were 9,024 registered refugees.
• UNRWA runs two combined elementary (ages 6-12) and preparatory schools (ages 13-15) - one for boys (827 pupils) and one for girls (878 pupils).
• From January 2005 to December 2006, there were 28,595 patient consultations in the UNRWA health centre.
• 305 families (856 refugees) are registered as special hardship cases (SHCs).

Figures as of December 2006