AMARI REFUGEE CAMP

The Red Cross established the Amari camp in 1949 within the municipal bounds of al-Birreh, providing tents to refugees from the cities of Lydd, Jaffa and Ramla, as well as from the villages of Beit Dajan, Deir Tarif, Abu Shoush, Nanaa, Sadoun Janzeh and Beit Naballa. Like other West Bank campus, it was established on land UNRWA leased from the government of Jordan.

UNRWA took responsibility for the camp in 1950, constructing housing units with concrete ceilings. By 1957, UNRWA had replaced all tents with concrete shelters. within the municipal boundaries of Al-Bireh.. Families with five persons or fewer received one-room shelters, while families with more than five members received two-room shelters. Today, the camp covers .93 square kilometres, and less than half a meter separates most shelters. Ventilation in shelters is very poor.

Following the redeployment of the Israeli army in 1995, the camp came under Palestinian Authority control. The camp is fully linked to municipal electricity and water grids. The camp's football team has won the Palestine football championship several times and has been designated to represent Palestine in regional and international competitions.

Registered Refugees

• Total: 10,520 (December 2007)
• Average family size: 5.0
• Poverty rate: 46%; 29.4% in absolute poverty
• Unemployment rate: 27.5%; affected by inability of local storeowners to extend purchases on credit to camp residents.
• Average monthly income: NIS 1537
• Average Age: 23.2
• Demographic Profile

UNRWA Education Programme

• Schools: 2 elementary/preparatory schools, segregated by sex. The girls’ elementary school operates in two shifts.
• Pupils: 1795

UNRWA Relief and Social Services Programme

• Food distribution centre: 1
• Social Safety Net (SSN) Programme beneficiaries: 255 families
• All shelters destroyed by IDF incursions into the camp restored.
• UNRWA collects trash from 12 central garbage containers and transports it daily to the al-Birreh municipality.

UNRWA Health Programme

• Health centre: 1, with 7,221 active family files
• 1 Emergency Physiotherapy unit

UNRWA Microfinance Programme

• Loan beneficiaries: 21 residents
• Total value: $29,661

UNRWA Emergency Programme

• 1,513 families receiving emergency food and cash assistance

Community Services

• 1 Community based Rehabilitation Centre

• 1 youth activity centre

• 1 children’s center

• 2 kindergartens

• 1 women’s programme center

• 4 local NGOs provide services in the camp.