SHU'FAT REFUGEE CAMP

Shufat camp was established in 1965/1966, more than a decade after all the other official camps in the West Bank, on 203 dunums north of Jerusalem. The camp was set up for refugees who had been living in insanitary conditions in M'ascar camp in the Old City of Jerusalem. After all the refugees had moved out, M'ascar camp was closed down.

Shu'fat camp is the only one in the West Bank that lies within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem. Many of the camp's residents are Jerusalem identity card holders and have not been affected by the Israeli closure of the West Bank.

While the economic situation of the camp's residents is better than that of refugees living in other West Bank refugee camps, the infrastructure is in poor condition. UNRWA is currently implementing a major surface water and sewage drainage system with special contributions from the Government of Saudi Arabia.

Many refugees who had previously moved out of the camp are now moving back in an attempt to retain their Jerusalem IDs by living within the municipal boundaries of Jerusalem. While UNRWA's official number of registered refugees in the camp stands at 8,684, the numbers are much higher. An estimated 4,000 refugees have moved into the camp in the past three years to avoid losing their residency rights in Jerusalem.

Overcrowding is a major problem. UNRWA's technical/safety building regulations are being completely ignored as more and more refugees are constructing three and four story shelters on foundations that originally were constructed to hold one/two storey shelters.

As part of its ongoing relief and social services efforts, UNRWA, in coordination with the camp committee, constructed and equipped a community centre that provides a number of social and economic services to some 1,000 refugees, mainly the elderly, women and children. The project was funded by the Government of Germany.

Profile of Shufat Refugee Camp

FACTS AND FIGURES

• Registered Refugee Population: 10069
• Special hardship cases 253 families
• Number of families receiving emergency food rations through other charitable organizations: 915
• Number of pupils: Male: 900, Female: 1650
• A new drinking water net work was established in 2002
• Upgrading sewage system in 2003.