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EIN
EL-TAL [UNOFFICIAL REFUGEE CAMP]
Ein el-Tal camp is situated on a deep green
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 has access to private pit latrines but
the lack of a well established sewerage system still poses a health
hazard for residents. Many of the inhabitants, for example, suffer
from leishmaniasis, a skin disease acquired from contaminated water.
The Syrian Government in mid 2001 decided to
incorporate Ein el-Tal into the overall masterplan for the development
of the city of Aleppo and its environs. The Aleppo Governorate has
extended the main municipal sewerage network to the entrance of Ein
el-Tal, is upgrading the pumping station for the water supply and has
undertaken to provide further support for the utility network. The
Syrian Government envisages the rehabilitation of nearby Neirab camp,
where hundreds of refugees still live in World War II army barracks,
and the development of Ein el-Tal as elements of one comprehensive
project . The Neirab Rehabilitation Project entails moving many of
these refugees to new dwellings in Ein el-Tal. In early 2001, a
tropographical survey, which UNRWA completed with Swiss funding,
determined that the land available for new contruction in the camp was
sufficient to relocate 300 families from Neirab to Ein el-Tal.
Part of the overall rehabilitation project also
calls for the development of the infrastructere in Ein el-Tal. Roads,
for example, remain unpaved and the isolated location of the camp has
deprived some residents of transportation to the city and surrounding
areas. Ein el-Tal does not have local markets, so food and other items
are bought from mobile vendors that come to the area. The first work
on the development project started in September 2002 with the
construction of 30 housing units and infrastructure with funding from
the United States.
In 1996, UNRWA was able to upgrade one school also
with a contribution from the Government of the United States. In 2000,
a second school was built with funds from the Government of the United
States.
FACTS AND FIGURES
- On 30 June 2002, there were 4,329 registered refugees.
- UNRWA runs two schools in the camp: one combined elementary
(pupils aged 6-12) and preparatory (pupils aged 13-15) for boys
(362 pupils) and one combined elementary and preparatory for girls
(410 pupils). The Government has recently commenced construction
of a secondary school.
- Between January-June 2002, there were 9589 patient consultations
at the UNRWA health centre.
- 168 families (590 refugees) are registered as special hardship
cases (SHCs).
*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.
Figures as of 30 June 2002
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