AIDA REFUGEE CAMP

 
New shelters in Aida camp in the 1950s

Aida camp was established in 1950 between the towns of Bethlehem and Beit Jala. Like other West Bank campus, it was established on land UNRWA leased from the government of Jordan.

The original refugees in the Aida camp generally hail from 17 villages in the Western Jerusalem and western Hebron areas, including Walaja, Khirbet El Umur, Qabu, Ajjur, Allar, Deir Aban, Maliha, Ras Abu Ammar and Beit Nattif.

Aida covers a small area of .71 square kilometres that has not grown significantly with the refugee population. As such, it faces severe overcrowding problems. In many cases, the UNRWA installations in the Aida camp also provide services for the refugees in the nearby Beit Jibrin camp. The camp is fully linked to municipal electricity and water grids, but the sewage and water networks are poor.

The camp came under special hardship during the second intifada, when the school sustained severe damages and 29 housing units were destroyed by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) incursions through March 2004.

Registered Refugees

• Total: 4,787 (December 2007)
• Average family size: 4.8
• Poverty rate: 20.6%; 8.7% in absolute poverty
• Unemployment rate: 43.4%; affected by increased inaccessibility of Israeli labor market.
• Average monthly income: NIS 957
• Average age: 21.1
• Demographic Profile

UNRWA Education Programme

• Schools: 1 elementary/preparatory school for girls, operating in shifts. Boys attend schools in Beit Jala
• Pupils: 645

UNRWA Relief and Social Services Programme

• Food distribution centre: 1
• Social Safety Net (SSN) Programme beneficiaries: 144 families
• All shelters destroyed by IDF incursions into the camp restored.

UNRWA Health Programme

• Health centres: 0; Residents access health services in Dheisheh Camp or Bethlehem.
• 1 Emergency Physiotherapy unit

UNRWA Microfinance Programme

• Loan beneficiaries: 7 residents
• Total value: $7,486

UNRWA Emergency Programme

• 478 families receiving emergency food and cash assistance

Community Services

• 1 Community based Rehabilitation Centre

• 1 youth activity centre, which is also used by women in the mornings for cultural and fitness activities.

• A number of local NGOs provide services in the camp. They provide educational services to children, including kindergartens. They also provide services to women and organize cultural activities.