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AQABAT JABR REFUGEE CAMP

Aqabat Jabr camp was established in 1948, 3
kilometers southwest of Jericho. Prior to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, the
number of registered refugees totaled some 30,000, making Aqabat Jabr
the biggest camp in the West Bank. The original inhabitants came from
nearly 300 villages north of Haifa, as well as the Gaza and Hebron
areas. Like other West Bank campus, it was established on land UNRWA
leased from the government of Jordan.
Many of the refugees escaped to Jordan during the
1967 Arab-Israeli war. The camp came under the Palestinian Authority’s
control following the signing of the 1994 Cairo Agreement. The refugees
now hail mostly from 22 villages, including Deir Al-Dhannam. Ajour, Al-Mismiyya,
Abbasiyeh, Beit Jibrin, Tel Al Safi, Beit Dajan, Yazou and Kufr Ana.
Non-refugees have also moved onto camp lands and some have illegally
constructed houses there. Residents today work primarily in agriculture
in the Jordan Valley, or in nearby Israeli settlements.
While all shelters are connected to public water and
electricity infrastructure, water scarcity is a major problem in this
desert area. During the summer months residents face severe water
shortages which cause tremendous hardship. UNRWA is able to provide some
water to the camp by pumping it from a nearby spring, though the Israeli
water company Mekerot is the main supplier of water to the camp. There
is no storm water drainage, and during heavy rains water floods
residents’ homes.
Registered Refugees
- Total: 6,403 (December 2007)
- Average family size: 5.1
- Poverty rate: 24.1%; 11.8% in absolute poverty
- Unemployment rate: 28.4%; affected by inaccessibility of the
Israeli labor market. Unemployed people often open small businesses,
such as roadside stands.
- Average monthly income: NIS 884
- Average Age: 21.1
- Demographic Profile
| Age: |
0-14 |
15-24 |
25-60 |
Over 60 |
| Percentage of Refugees |
45.3 |
20.2 |
31 |
3.5 |
UNRWA Education Programme
- Schools: 2 elementary/preparatory schools, one co-educational
and one for girls.
- Pupils: 1632
- In 2003, the girls’ school was expanded to a new library, a
multipurpose room, a computer lab and extra classrooms.
- UNRWA schools also house 4 of the camps’ 6 playgrounds.
UNRWA Relief and Social Services Programme
- Food distribution centre: 1
- Social Safety Net (SSN) Programme beneficiaries: 125 families
- UNRWA collects trash daily, which is then transported to the
Jericho municipality twice a week.
- 25 of 26 shelters damaged by IDF incursions during the second
intifada repaired.
UNRWA Health Programme
- UNRWA health centre: 1,
- Other health centres: 2. 1 additional health centre run by Al-Shifa’
Centre of the Health Care Committee Union and 1 additional private
clinic
UNRWA Microfinance Programme
- Loan beneficiaries: 21 residents
- Total value: $29,661
UNRWA Emergency Programme
- 780 families receiving emergency food and cash assistance
Community Services
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