Khan Eshieh Refugee camp

Khan Eshieh camp is situated beside the very ancient ruins of Khan Eshieh, 27 kilometres south west of Damascus. The Khan historically served as an overnight shelter for trade caravans on the road between Damascus and the southwest. This Khan provided shelter for the first refugees from Palestine in 1948. The camp was established in 1949 on an area of 690,000 square metres.

The majority of the refugees are originally from the northern part of Palestine. Many of them are now well educated and work as teachers or civil servants. Others are employed as farm workers on Syrian-owned lands and manual workers at the nearby workshops.

Registered refugees:

• Total: 19,059 (December 2008)
• Average family size: 6.6 members
• Camp population by age:

UNRWA Education Programme

• Schools: 6 double-shifted schools, operating in 3 school buildings.
• Staff members: 95
• Pupils: 2812

Two school buildings were reconstructed in 2008.

The reconstruction of an old and now unused school building would accommodate one of the six schools and allow two schools to operate on a single-shift instead of a double-shift basis.

School buildings in camps are usually open to the refugee community after class hours. They are used as community centres, providing various courses such as computer or English training and access to facilities such as the libraries, learning resource centres and sports facilities. When a school is operating on a double-shift basis, access to these facilities for the public is very limited, as classes finish late in the evening.

UNRWA Relief and Social Services Programme

• Food distribution centre: 1
• Social safety net (SSN) programme beneficiaries: 1220 individuals (391 families) receive 1036 daily rations

Microcredit Community Support Programme – Community Managed Funds:

• Individual loans (up to USD 3000 for urgent health issues, to improve households, education etc., since August 2008): 46
• Group-Guaranteed Lending (of value USD 2500 – 5000 per group, for self-formed groups of five women, since August 2008): active – 27, general – 27

UNRWA Health Programme:

• Health centre: 1
• Number of medical staff: 11
• Number of patient consultations per month: 4267

Major Problems:

• The roads are not paved
• Water problem
• Men have multiple wives
• Addiction problems
• Early marriage and early divorce.