FAR’A REFUGEE CAMP

Far'a camp was established in 1949 on .255 square kilometres of land in the foothills of the Jordan Valley near the Far'a spring. The camp is 17 kilometres northeast of Nablus. Far’a’s original refugees came from 30 villages to the north east of Haifa. Like other West Bank campus, it was established on land UNRWA leased from the government of Jordan. Following the Wye River Memorandum, the camp came under Palestinian Authority control.

All shelters are connected to public water and electricity infrastructure. Far'a is one of the few camps in the West Bank which UNRWA is able to supply water to by pumping from the nearby spring. During the summer months, the spring does not meet demand, and the local camp committee has to pay to bring water to the camp. Most of the camp residents work in the agricultural sector and some depend on work in the Israeli settlements in the Jordan Valley.

Registered Refugees

• Total: 7,632 (December 2007)
• Average family size: 5.1
• Poverty rate: 42.1%; 29.8% in absolute poverty
• Unemployment rate: 22.3%; affected by demand reduction and increased debts
• Average monthly income: NIS 1,900
• Average Age: 22.6
• Demographic Profile

UNRWA Education Programme

• Schools: 2 single-sex ,1 co-educational elementary/preparatory school and 1 PA-administered secondary school for boys
• Pupils: 2552

UNRWA Relief and Social Services Programme

• Food distribution centre: 1
• Social Safety Net (SSN) Programme beneficiaries: 179 families
• UNRWA collects trash and transports it to Toubas landfill

UNRWA Health Programme

• UNRWA health centre: 1, with 2,084 active family files
• Other health centres: 2. 1 additional private clinic and 1 dental clinic

UNRWA Emergency Programme

• 912 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 centre

• 2 mosques

• 2 library

• 1 educational enhancement centre

• 1 PA-administered sports complex providing services to the Northern West Bank

• 4 playgrounds

• 3 parks

• 1 football field

• 2 local NGOs provide services in the camp.