Qabr Essit Refugee camp

Qabr Essit camp, 15 kilometres from Damascus, is situated near the town of Sayyedeh Zeinab (granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammad). Her shrine is at a mosque in the town and is a site of pilgrimage. This camp was established in 1948, but the majority of the residents came in 1967.

Qabr Essit was established on an area of 23,000 square metres. The inhabitants who were displaced from the Quneitra Governorate in the Golan Heights during the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict, sought refuge for the second time in their lives in Qabr Essit. Most had originally fled to the Golan Heights in 1948 from nearby villages in northern Palestine.

Most of the refugees work as casual labourers or street vendors.

There is a high incidence of inherited diseases such as thalassaemia and sickle-cell anaemia, which are difficult to combat in a poor community where marriage between first cousins is common. Marrying outside the extended family is unaffordable for many.

Poor sanitation is a major problem in the camp, and there is a relatively high incidence of illnesses associated with poor environmental health conditions. The sewerage system is antiquated and requires upgrading to cope with the demands of an increasing refugee population.

Registered refugees:

• Total: 22,348 (December 2008)
• Average family size: 4.8 members
• Camp population by age:

UNRWA Relief and Social Services Programme

• Food distribution centre: 1
• Social safety net (SSN) programme beneficiaries: 1597 individuals (489 families) receive 1374 daily rations

Microcredit Community Support Programme – Community Managed Funds:

• The UNRWA Microcredit Programme does not operate in this camp but plans to launch operations in 2010, given sufficient funding.

UNRWA Education Programme

• Schools: 4 double-shifted schools, operating in 2 school buildings.
• Staff members: 105
• Pupils: 3,326

The two 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 new ones built in their place.

UNRWA Health Programme

• Health centre: 1
• Number of medical staff: 18
• Number of patient consultations per month: 4847

UNRWA Microfinance Programme

• Number of loans disbursed to Palestine refugees: 567
• Total value of loans: 11,035,000 SYP
• Percentage of Palestine refugees of total clients of the branch: 30 %

Major Problems:

• Water problem
• High number of school dropouts
• Health problems because of consanguinity
• Overcrowded households