FAWWAR REFUGEE CAMP

The southernmost of the West Bank camp, Fawwar was established in 1949 on .273 square kilometres of land, 10 kilometres south of Hebron. The camp’s original inhabitants came from 18 villages in the Gaza, Hebron and Beersheeva areas. Like other West Bank campus, it was established on land UNRWA leased from the government of Jordan.

All shelters are connected to public water and electricity infrastructure, though not all are connected to the public sewerage system. The residents of the camp depend almost entirely on work inside Israel and have been especially badly affected by the inaccessibility of the Israeli labour market.

Registered Refugees

• Total: 8,066 (December 2007)
• Average family size: 5.6
• Poverty rate: 34.6%; 21.1% in absolute poverty
• Unemployment rate: 31.9%; affected by demand reduction and increased debts
• Average monthly income: NIS 1,590
• Average Age: 20.9
• Demographic Profile

UNRWA Education Programme

• Schools: 2 single-sex elementary/preparatory school and 1 PA-administered secondary school. The UNRWA boys’ school operates on a two-shift basis.
• Pupils: 2061

UNRWA Relief and Social Services Programme

• Food distribution centre: 1
• Social Safety Net (SSN) Programme beneficiaries: 179 families
• UNRWA collects trash and disposes of it outside the camp

UNRWA Health Programme

• UNRWA health centre: 1, with 1,515 active family files
• Other health centres: 4. 1 social network assistance clinic, 1 private clinic and 2 dental clinics

UNRWA Emergency Programme

• 879 families receiving emergency food and cash assistance

Community Services

• 1 Community based Rehabilitation Centre

• 1 youth activity centre

• 1 children’s center

• 4 kindergartens

• 1 women’s programme centre

• 4 mosques

• 1 library

• 1 educational enhancement centre

• Sister city to a French city, which provides cultural activities and limited financing for projects such as a computer lab.

• 8 local and international NGOs provide services in the camp, including computer courses, political and social services, supervision and follow up of infrastructure projects, cultural exchanges and financial aid to needy families and courses on livestock management.