EIN EL-TAL [UNOFFICIAL REFUGEE CAMP*]

Ein el-Tal camp is situated on a hillside 13 kilometres to the north-east of the city of Aleppo in the Syrian Arab Republic. The camp, also known as "Hindrat" (after a nearby village), was established in 1962 on an area of 160,000 square metres. Most of the inhabitants are refugees who fled from northern Palestine.

The majority of the refugees are casual labourers or teachers in local schools.

Each shelter used to have access to private pit latrines, but each shelter was connected to a camp wide sewerage system which will be finished by August 2009 as part of the Neirab Rehabilitation Project (Phase 1). This will alleviate the prevalence of diseases such as leishmaniasis, a vector-born skin disease transmitted by flies‘ feeding of waste water.

Part of the overall rehabilitation project of Neirab camp was also to develop the infrastructure in Ein el-Tal. Roads, for example, will be all be paved by August 2009 which will allow local transport to service the camp for the first time. Ein el-Tal does not have a local market, so food and other items are bought from mobile vendors that come to the area or individual shops in the camp. The first work on the Neirab Rehabilitation Project started in September 2002 with the construction of 30 housing units and infrastructure with funding from the United States. By February 2009 the last of the planned 300 housing units was finished.

Registered Refugees:

• Total: 5,710 (December 2008)
• Average family size: 4,5 members
• Camp population by age:

UNRWA Education Programme

• Schools: 3 schools, operating in 2 buildings – one single-shifted, two double-shifted
• Staff members: 47
• Pupils: 1,165

The school operating on a single-shift basis does not have all the proper facilities; it lacks specialized rooms such as science and computer laboratories, a music room, sports facilities, learning resource and learning support centres. It is also in need of a proper playground.

UNRWA Relief and Social Services Programme

• Food distribution centre: 1
• Social safety net (SSN) programme beneficiaries: 888 individuals (228 families) receive 771 daily rations
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Microcredit Community Support Programme – Community Managed Funds:

• Individual loans (up to US$ 3000 for urgent health issues, to improve households, education etc., since August 2008): 135
• Group Guaranteed Lending (valued at US$ 2500 – 5000 per group, for self-formed groups of five women, since 2005): active – 22, general – 95

UNRWA Health Programme

• Health centre : 1
• Number of medical staff: 6
• Number of patient consultations per month: 1760

UNRWA Microfinance Programme

UNRWA Microfinance Programme does not operate in this camp but plans to open a branch office in Aleppo to serve the camp in 2009.

Major Problems:

• Shelters in the old camp are in need of rehabilitation
• Shortage of water
• Absence of offices for the social workers

*A number of so-called unofficial refugee camps were established over time by the host governments to provide accommodation for Palestine refugees. In all respects, refugees in official and unofficial camps have equal access to UNRWA services, except that UNRWA is not responsible for solid waste collection in the unofficial camps.