Yarmouk (camp)

Yarmouk (camp)

Yarmouk ( _ar. اليرموك) is an "unofficial" refugee camp in Damascus that is home to the largest Palestinian refugee community in Syria. It is located 8 kilometers from the center of Damascus, inside the municipal boundaries. As of June 2002, there were 112,550 registered refugees living in Yarmouk.cite web|title=Yarmouk:Unofficial Refugee Camp|publisher=UNRWA|date=30 June 2002|accessdate=12.07.2007|url=http://www.un.org/unrwa/refugees/syria/yarmouk.html]

Overview

Yarmouk was established in 1957 on an area of 2,110,000 square meters to accommodate refugees who were squatters. Though it is not officially recognized as a refugee camp, road signs leading to this sector of the city read: "Mukhayyam al-Yarmouk" (or, "Yarmouk camp").

Over time, refugees living in Yarmouk have improved and expanded their residences. Currently, the camp is densely populated, with cement block homes and narrow streets. Two main roads are lined with shops and filled with service taxis and microbuses that run through the camp.

Living conditions in Yarmouk appear to be better than in other Palestinian refugee camps in Syria and residents of the camp are made up of many professionals, such as doctors, engineers and civil servants, as well as many who are employed as casual laborers and street vendors.

There are four hospitals and a number of government-run secondary schools. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) operates 20 elementary schools and eight preparatory schools in the camp and sponsors two women's program centers. There are three UNRWA health care centers in Yarmouk, two of which received upgrades in 1996 with contributions from the government of Canada. In 1997, six schools were upgraded with contributions from the government of the United States, and a kindergarten was built with funds from the government of Australia. In 1998, the UNRWA was also able to construct a health center funded by the government of the Netherlands.

References

ee also

*Khalil al-Wazir
*Mustafa Al-Hallaj


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