Neriab Rehabilitation Project Brief

NEIRAB REFUGEE CAMP

Neirab camp is the largest official camp in Syria and is situated 13 kilometres east of the city of Aleppo near the Aleppo airport. The camp was established between 1948-1950 for refugees from northern Palestine on 148,000 square metres in and around army barracks constructed by the Allied Forces during World War II. The refugees found shelter in the barracks, which they divided up, initially with sheets and later with plywood and hollow bricks to provide some privacy and to accommodate the needs of their growing families.

Today, the majority of the refugees are casual labourers. Others work informally as street vendors.

While UNRWA has been able to make essential improvements and maintenance to the barracks, the housing situation in Neirab remains deplorable, and many of the shelters are the most unhealthy and unsafe among the camps in Syria. The poor construction of the barracks results in scorching temperatures in summer and freezing conditions in winter. Water leakage and rodent infestation remain a problem for the refugees. The quality of life is also affected by the lack of privacy. The camp's streets are the only place for children to play and even they are often no wider than the span of a child's arms. UNRWA's main priority in the camp is to provide better housing.

UNRWA and the Syrian Government have agreed on an improvement plan in two phases, involving the Neirab camp and the nearby Ein el-Tal camp. The first phase of the Neirab Rehabilitation Project includes house construction for 300 families who would move from Neirab to Ein el-Tal, to reduce the overcrowding in Neirab. Water and sewage disposal networks, roads and pathways in the existing and the new residential areas will be installed. In the second phase, the barracks area of Neirab camp will be reconstructed for the remaining families. Open spaces will be developed for the communities’ commercial and recreational use. The Palestine refugees themselves are directly involved in the planning phase and as participants in the project implementation.

Registered Refugees:

• Total: 18,955 (December 2008)
• Average family size: 4.8 members
• Camp population by age:

UNRWA Education Programme

• Schools: 8 double-shifted schools, operating in 4 school buildings.
• Staff: 110
• Pupils: 3,659

One school building will soon be rebuilt. During the renovation, Syrian government schools are accommodating the pupils. The other three school buildings are in need of reconstruction. Earlier, the school buildings were expanded horizontally, not vertically; therefore the foundations of the buildings are very weak and unfit to be constructed upon. The old buildings need to be demolished and replaced by new ones.

Currently there are no specialized facilities or staff in two of the schools to accommodate students with special needs.

UNRWA Relief and Social Services Programme

• Food distribution centre: 1
• Social safety net (SSN) programme beneficiaries: 2270 individuals (664 families) receive 2065 daily rations

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): 132
• Group-Guaranteed Lending (valued at US$2500 – 5000 per group, for self-formed groups of five women, since 2005): active – 41, general – 141

UNRWA Health Programme

• Health centre: 1
• Number of medical staff: 15
• Number of patient consultations per month: 4602

UNRWA Microfinance Programme

• UNRWA Microfinance Programme does not operate in this camp but plans to open a branch office in a popular neighborhood near the Neirab camp in 2009.
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Major problems:

• Poor housing conditions in the barracks
• Poverty
• Unemployment
• Wide spread of leishmaniasis, a skin disease acquired from waste water.
• Drug addiction
• Lack of opportunities for camp population’s self-development
• High divorce rate
• The kindergarten is old and in need of reconstruction