Syrian Refugee Camps Research Articles

Initial fire safety analysis of shelters in Zaatari and Azraq refugee camps

More than a decade had passed since the initiation of the Syrian refugee camps in Jordan. Many gray literature documents and some academic research had been produced around Zaatari and Azraq camps. However, none of the existing research has tackled the issue of fire safety in the camps extensively, despite the noticeable fire events that occur in them.In this research, two methods are used to discuss the fire risk in the Jordanian Syrian camps of Zaatari and Azraq. The first is field assessment through visual analysis supported by observatory tours and field notes on five aspects of fire risk; ignition, fire development, fire spread within a structure, fire risk between structures, and accessibility of shelters. The second is through fire experiments on shelter materials using a cone calorimeter which aimed at seeing how the original shelter materials and the amendments that the residents make to these materials, react to fire. The results are recommendations and best practices to improve fire safety in these camps and at the same time help camp planners and shelter designers in taking more fire-conscious decisions in the future.

Analyzing the Shelter Site Selection Criteria for Disaster Preparedness Using Best–Worst Method under Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Sets

Shelters are vital for affected people after a disaster because of the accommodation, safety, and security. In this paper, we analyze the shelter site selection criteria for disaster preparedness applying the best–worst method under interval type-2 fuzzy sets. The proposed approach utilizes the advantages of fewer pairwise comparisons with the best–worst method and better reflection of uncertainty with interval type-2 fuzzy sets. For this reason, the criteria are determined based on a literature review and the opinion of nine disaster experts. The experts have worked as disaster officers in a variety of locations, including Sivrice (Elazığ), Pazarcık, and Elbistan (Kahramanmaras) and Syrian refugee camps such as Nizip container city. In this step, 6 main criteria and 25 sub-criteria are evaluated using the proposed approach. According to the nine experts’ opinions, the most important main criterion is determined as proximity. Distribution center capacity, adequate distribution logistics personnel, available electricity, distance to settlement, and landslides and flooding are also determined as the five most important sub-criteria. For disaster preparedness, responsible organizations and managers should consider these important criteria for temporary shelter site selection.

Factors influencing gestational diabetes self-care among pregnant women in a Syrian Refugee Camp in Jordan.

The main objective of this study is to identify the level of self-care practices and the determinants of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus (GDM) among pregnant women residing in one of the refugee camps in Jordan. A cross-sectional study was conducted on a convenient sample of forty women diagnosed with GDM from the high-risk maternity clinic in one of the Syrian refugee camps in Jordan. The study used the Gestational Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale (GDMSES), Diabetes Knowledge (DMK) assessment, and Diabetes Self-Care Activities Questionnaire (SDSCA) to measure the variables of interest. Descriptive analysis and Multiple logistic regression were used to assess for significant factors. Significant associations were found between the subcategories of diet, exercise, and blood sugar control in both the self-efficacy and self-activity scales (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, p < 0.05), respectively. Two factors were associated with higher GDM self-care: diabetes knowledge and higher self-efficacy toward GDM self-care (p < 0.05). The findings of this study highlight that pregnant women with GDM who have higher levels of self-efficacy and diabetes knowledge are more likely to achieve higher levels of GDM self-care. Beside developing health promotion programs to enhance women's self-efficacy in adhering to GDM care, adequate support and relevant resources to facilitate GDM management among refugee women are recommended. Future research for identifying other potential factors affecting GDM self-care among refugees is highly recommended.

Assessing the small ruminant value chain in arid regions: A case study of the North-Eastern Badia Basalt Plateau in Jordan

This study aims to analyze the small ruminant value chain in the North-Eastern Badia region of Jordan, which is a significant source of income for local farmers. The objectives include characterizing the value chain, identifying stakeholders and their roles, and addressing the challenges it faces for long-term sustainability. Primary data was collected through a structured survey from 80 small ruminant holders in the district. The survey covered various aspects such as input supplies, husbandry practices, processing, marketing, and consumption. Additionally, individual interviews were conducted to analyze the value chain. The findings revealed a diverse range of actors involved in the value chain, including input suppliers, producers, animal collectors, traders, processors, and consumers. The SWOT analysis highlighted key issues such as high feed costs, limited and arid rangelands, inadequate government services, and unstable decisions. Moreover, neighboring small ruminant holders near Syrian refugee camps faced challenges related to land pollution caused by the refugees. In conclusion, besides to the negative impact of the climate change on the farms management due, particularly, to the consecutive drought years, the small ruminant value chain in the study area lacks organization and is not sufficiently supported by the governmental and non-governmental entities, and the Syrian refugees’ situation. Keywords: Small ruminant, Value chain, Sustainability, SWOT analysis, Jordan, North-Eastern Badia Basalt Plateau.

A Sustainable Wind–Biogas Hybrid System for Remote Areas in Jordan: A Case Study of Mobile Hospital for a Zaatari Syrian Refugee Camp

Access to reliable and sustainable energy in remote areas remains a pressing global challenge, significantly affecting economic development and the quality of life. This study focuses on the implementation of fully off-grid wind–biogas hybrid power systems to address this issue, with a focus on remote healthcare camp facilities. This paper investigates the performance of a hybrid renewable energy system within the context of one of Jordan’s northern remote areas, the Zaatari Syrian Refugee Camp, assessing its efficiency and environmental impact by taking the Zaatari hospital as the case study. Simulations were conducted to evaluate system components, including wind turbines, biogas generators, and diesel generators. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted, encompassing both the operational efficiency of the system and its impact on the environment. This study also considered various scenarios (SC#), including grid availability and autonomy levels, to optimize system configurations. The techno-economic assessment employed the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) as a key performance indicator, and sensitivity analyses explored the impact of diesel costs and wind power fluctuations on the system. Additionally, environmental assessment was conducted to evaluate the environmental effects of hybrid systems, with a specific focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This investigation involved an examination of emissions in three different scenarios. The results indicate that the lowest LCOE that could be achieved was 0.0734 USD/kWh in SC#1 with 72.42% autonomy, whereas achieving 100% autonomy increased the LCOE to 0.1756 USD/kWh. Additionally, the results reveal that in scenarios SC#2 and SC#3, which have a higher proportion of diesel generator usage, there were elevated levels of NOx and CO2 emissions. Conversely, in SC#1, which lacks diesel generators, emissions were notably lower. The proposed hybrid system demonstrates its potential to provide a reliable energy supply to healthcare facilities in remote regions, emphasizing both economic feasibility and environmental benefits. These findings contribute to informed decision making for sustainable energy solutions in similar contexts, promoting healthcare accessibility and environmental sustainability.

Wild Poppies by Haya Saleh

Reviewed by: Wild Poppies by Haya Saleh Natalie Berglind Saleh, Haya Wild Poppies; tr. from the Arabic by Marcia Lynx Qualey. Levine Querido, 2023 [192p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781646142019 $17.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-8 Fifteen-year-old Omar is in charge of his family, including his sick mother, after his father was martyred in the Syrian civil war. At a Syrian refugee camp, Omar is the one who maintains order, while his twelve-year-old brother Sufyan is always getting into trouble and disappearing. When Sufyan becomes involved with a group called the Falcons of Truth, who pay him to complete small tasks and show up to their meetings declaiming “infidels,” finances start to look up, but the Falcons of Truth eventually kidnap Sufyan, and the brothers must find their way back to each other in life-or-death circumstances. Saleh’s prose, translated from Arabic, is elegant but direct, avoiding descriptions of violence without dulling the emotional impact of the tragedies in these brothers’ lives. Omar and Sufyan just want safety and reliable sources of food (and maybe some video games), and their alternating perspectives give readers two access points to a story that shines a light on the threats, both [End Page 335] present and in the future, that refugee children face. Media about Syrian refugees tends to focus on legislation about other countries accepting refugees rather than internally displaced refugees, and this book gives necessary context for kids who may be in the dark about the Syrian civil war. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Design and use of space in refugee camps: a case study of a contested terrain

The urgency in providing basic shelter for a large, displaced and distressed population frequently means that the design of refugee camps follows a ‘generic top-down framework’ with basic humanitarian and techno-managerial planning strategies rising to the fore. These are usually based on a universal standardisation for the allocation of ‘shelter’ and its repetition in a grid-based settlement layout. Camps are planned with an anticipation of removal and disassembly in the short or medium term. This results in a military-style modular spatial hierarchy with formally defined boundaries. This paper is based on a systematic review of literature in the public domain about the Al-Zaatari Syrian refugee camp in Jordan. Despite the originally imposed uniformity, the story on the ground at this camp is one of a rapid transformation initially through collective determination. The UN's strictly orthogonal grid was rapidly overlayed and reconfigured to support a preferred way of living anchored in continuity of the previous social and cultural norms of the refugee population. This paper illustrates these processes of adaptation and transformation and examines the evolving distribution of space between occupants, the expansion of opportunities for income generation, and the introduction of new housing typologies and services. Early interventions were collectively initiated. Over time, the influence of informal market forces led to those with resources gained ascendancy over those with less.

The Obstacles Facing the Community of the Syrian Refugee Camps in Jordan

Objectives: The study tackled the obstacles facing the community of Syrian refugee camps (SRC) in Jordan. The study population included (4000) male and female students at Jordanian universities residing in three Syrian refugee camps: Al-Za’tari Camp, Al-Azraq Camp and the Emirati Camp. The study took a random sample of (432) SRC students comprising (180) males and (252) females.&#x0D; Methods: For the purpose of the study, the descriptive analytical approach was employed. A 44-item questionnaire covering five domains was also developed. A questionnaire was prepared to collect data to find out the obstacles facing the community of Syrian refugee camps in Jordan from the point of view of Syrian students.&#x0D; Results: Study findings primarily revealed that the arithmetic mean of the degree of obstacles facing the Jordan-based SRC community stood roughly at (3.42). Moreover, the study showed statistically significant gender-related (vs. domicile-related) differences between the attitudes of SRC students.&#x0D; Conclusions: The study concluded that international humanitarian agencies should assume responsibility for SRC service provision, particularly in the fields of healthcare and education.

The Situation of Communication and Media in the Syrian Refugee Camps in Jordan (The Zaatari Camp as a Model)

This study aims to identify the communication and media reality in the Syrian refugee camps in Jordan. In addition, there are other aims such as knowing the reality of communication among Syrian people in camps through identifying the most used Jordanian, Arab and international means of communications and social media. And the extent to which these means of communications satisfy the requirements of Syrians in camps. This study is considered one of the descriptive studies that was based on the survey method through the questionnaire tool on a sample of 243 participants from the Zaatari refugee camp. The study came up with many results , the most important:: It was found that 95.1 of the study sample owned a smart phone, 39.5 owns a computer, -91.4 owns a TV, and 70.4 owns a Satellite TV receiver,92.2 owns internet packages connected to their smart phones,34.4 owns home internet packages -It was found that the majority of the study sample suffers from problems in the Internet, and The Jordanian Television is the most Jordanian media to be followed. It was also found that WhatsApp is the most used social media by the study sample. Moreover, half of the study sample was found to be dissatisfied with communication services in the camp. Accordingly, this paper provides the following recommendations: It is necessary to improve the internet services in Syrian camps in Jordan. And that Jordanian and Arab means of communication show more care for Syrian refugees and their problems.

When coping strategies become a way of life: a gendered analysis of Syrian refugees in Lebanon

ABSTRACT Using a field survey in informal Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon, this paper analyses refugee coping strategies and demonstrates how severe strategies become a way of life. It addresses how each refugee’s strategic choices are determined by an environment that is conceptualized via four dimensions of displacement: the civil host community, national and international policy, and humanitarian aid, in addition to individual characteristics such as gender. The findings show that the gender of the household head influences the severity of coping strategies, both directly and indirectly. The likelihood of using child labour and reducing the number of daily meals is higher for female-headed households. To categorise coping strategies among refugees, a new framework is proposed based on three categorisations: survival strategies, enhancing strategies and improving strategies.

Driving Engines Effect on Settlement Patterns and Efficiency of the Settlement Influence at Al-Za’atari Camp

As refugees lose their sense of spatial identity, they try to adapt by recreating their lost community through revival of rituals, religion, defense, lifestyle, prestige, and climate. Population displacement theory deals with settlements as form of socio-cultural action. The study the driving engines behind the shifted emerging patterns and their influence on the efficiency of the settlement at Al-Za&amp;#39;atari Syrian Refugee Camp, in North Jordan, Al-Mafraq. Face-to-face interviews with camp mobilizers explored the driving engines behind the shifted settlement patterns, and its influence on mobilizers&amp;#39; reachability. A cluster stratified random sample was used to collect quantitative data through a structured questionnaire. Outcomes indicated that refugees are gradually transforming the formal public spaces at the cluster level to private ones as an extension to the shelter domain. Such spatial shifts appear to be driven by a combination of physical, social, socio-spatial drivers, and past socio-spatial experience. These spatial shifts from the formal grid are influenced by refugees&amp;rsquo; social values and territorial behavior, expressing zones of influence as means of defensive adaptation. Statistical analysis attested the influence of driving engines on settlement patterns and on the efficiency of the settlement. The driving engines behind the spatial shifts are safety concerns, cultural concerns, religious reasons, lifestyle, prestige, ethnicity and origin, improved infrastructure, improved access to services, and micro-climate. Such attributes influence the total efficiency of the settlement. Conclusively, planners should consider socio-cultural values that reflect defensibility, boundaries definition, and interdependence.

Political Rhetoric and Hate Speech in the Case of Shamima Begum

The relationship between political rhetoric and hate crime has been a topic of growing concern in recent years, with the narratives promoted by politicians widely seen as legitimating and inspiring hate crime as well as soothing or inflaming the tensions that result from antecedent hate crime events such as terrorist attacks. The potential return of so-called ‘IS bride’ Shamima Begum from a Syrian refugee camp in 2019, following her high-profile departure four years earlier, led to intense debate within the UK, particularly over the controversial removal of her citizenship by Home Secretary Sajid Javid. As an Islamist terrorism case with clear gendered dimensions, the Begum case was well-positioned to function as a hate crime trigger event. The divisiveness of this case was reflected in partisan political argument within the UK, and accompanied by high volumes of toxic and Islamophobic social media discussion alongside input from a variety of UK politicians. This paper offers a qualitative analysis of the political rhetoric promoted in the Twitter accounts of leading UK politicians in response to the citizenship decision, and subsequent developments between February and April 2019, such as the death of Begum’s child and the granting of legal aid to support her ongoing legal challenge. Through a Critical Discourse Analysis of politicians’ online rhetoric, this study aims to establish the contribution of UK political rhetoric to the hate speech discourses that emerged online in response to this case.

A European Guantanamo for Swedish children in Syria? A media analysis on the narrative of repatriation

ABSTRACT There are around 50 Swedish children interned in Syrian refugee camps due to their parents’ affiliation with the Islamic State. Swedish authorities have a strict policy towards repatriating individuals who have joined the terrorist organisation. Therefore, these individuals, along with their young children, are left in these camps. This is noteworthy since the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) has been enshrined in Swedish law since 2020 with the purpose of strengthening children’s rights. In this article, media narratives concerning these children and the process of repatriation are explored in relation to the CRC. The findings suggest that the media narrative contributes to the representation of a “new kind of child” that is both in danger and dangerous, a narrative configuration that may affect the public’s way of reacting to their situation.

The Occupational Interests and Its Relation to Psychological Stability among 10th Grade Students with Physical and Hearing Disabilities in Syrian Refugee Camps Schools in Jordan

The purpose of the current study is twofold. First, to determine the occupational interests among tenth-grade students with physical and hearing disabilities in the schools of Syrian refugee camps in Jordan. Second, to explore the relationship between students’ occupational interests and their psychological stability. The study was guided by the descriptive correlational method. A convenience sampling technique was adopted to collect data from the participants. It resulted in a sample encompassed a total of 340 male and female students with physical and hearing disabilities. The sample was chosen from schools in the second semester of the academic year 2018/2019. Data was gathered by applying both occupational interests and psychological stability scales. The results pointed out that the levels of occupational interests and psychical stability among the surveyed students were moderate. Moreover, the results revealed that there were statistically significant differences (α=0.05) in students’ occupational interests; i.e., field interests, artistry interests, social and service interests, as well as writing and literary interests that attributed to the disability type. Furthermore, the results acknowledged that there were statistically significant differences (α=0.05) in students’ health-psychological domain due to gender, in addition to statistically significant differences (α=0.05) in all domains of psychological stability, in terms of the student’s living conditions, in favor of students who live in two-parent families. On top of that, the relationship between students’ occupational interests and their psychological stability was weak. In light of these results, the researcher calls for further studies on occupational interests and psychological stability using similar research population, its relations with other variables, developing vocational and rehabilitation programs for students with disabilities in Syrian refugee camps in Jordan. Keywords : Occupational Interests, Students with Physical and Hearing Disabilities, Psychological Stability, Camps Schools, Syrian Refugees, Refugees camps, Refugees schools DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/114-07 Publication date: October 31 st 2021

The refugee camp as urban housing

This paper is a call to examine refugee camps and urban housing as interlinked phenomena. By comparatively examining the spatial-material arrangements of three Syrian refugee camps in Jordan, it suggests that the ‘how’ question (or how to plan refugee camps) has invited the housing agenda to appear spatially. In the Jordanian case, this has led to the production of three distinctive models of camps-housing namely a ghetto, a gated community and a mass housing project. In the German context, it has led to the production of camps phased into permanent and hybrid models of housing. Finally, and by underlying that the camp is first and foremost a form of urban housing, it suggests that the concepts, themes and analytical tools developed in housing studies has the potential to unpack the complexity of the camp and how it interlinks with our cities and urban realities today.

The Attitudes of Al-Azraq Syrian Refugee Camp Students toward Using "Darsak" Platform in Learning English Language

The Attitudes of Al-Azraq Syrian Refugee Camp Students toward Using "Darsak" Platform in Learning English Language

難民キャンプにおけるスポーツを通じた教育援助の意義 : シリア難民キャンプにおける参加型アクション・リサーチを用いた活動を事例として

難民キャンプにおけるスポーツを通じた教育援助の意義 : シリア難民キャンプにおける参加型アクション・リサーチを用いた活動を事例として

Pyrolysis of Solid Waste for Bio-Oil and Char Production in Refugees’ Camp: A Case Study

The current research focuses on assessing the potential of municipal solid waste (MSW) conversion into biofuel using pyrolysis process. The MSW samples were taken from Zaatari Syrian Refugee Camp. The physical and chemical characteristics of MSW were studied using proximate and elemental analysis. The results showed that moisture content of MSW is 32.3%, volatile matter (VM) is 67.99%, fixed carbon (FC) content is 5.46%, and ash content is 24.33%. The chemical analysis was conducted using CHNS analyzer and found that the percentage of elements contents: 46% Carbon (C) content, 12% Hydrogen (H2), 2% Nitrogen (N2), 44% Oxygen (O2), and higher heat value (HHV) is 26.14 MJ/kg. The MSW pyrolysis was conducted using tubular fluidized bed reactor (FBR) under inert gas (Nitrogen) at 500 °C with 20 °C/min heating rate and using average particles size 5–10 mm. The products of MSW pyrolysis reaction were: pyrolytic liquid, solid char, and gaseous mixture. The pyrolytic oil and residual char were analyzed using Elemental Analyzer and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The results of FTIR showed that oil product has considerable amounts of alkenes, alkanes, and carbonyl groups due to high organic compounds contents in MSW. The elemental analysis results showed that oil product content consists of 55% C, 37% O2, and the HHV is 20.8 MJ/kg. The elemental analysis of biochar showed that biochar content consists of 47% C, 49% O2, and HHV is 11.5 MJ/kg. Further research is recommended to study the effects of parameters as reactor types and operating conditions to assess the feasibility of MSW pyrolysis, in addition to the environmental impact study which is necessary to identify and predict the relevant environmental effects of this process.

Virtual Exchange in Global Health: an innovative educational approach to foster socially responsible overseas collaboration

Educators who design and manage study abroad programs face a series of ethical responsibilities. Meeting these responsibilities is critical in the field of global health, where study abroad programs are often designed to provide healthcare services in under-resourced communities. Leaders in global health have thus formed working groups to study the ethical implications of overseas programming and have led the way in establishing socially responsible best practices for study abroad. Their recommendations include development of bidirectional programming that is designed for mutual and equitable benefits, focused on locally identified needs and priorities, attentive to local community costs, and structured to build local capacity to ensure sustainability. Implementation remains a key challenge, however. Sustainable, bidirectional programming is difficult and costly. In the present study, authors questioned how technology could be used to connect students of global health in distant countries to make socially responsible global health programming more accessible. Drawing on empirical research in the learning sciences and leveraging best practices in technology design, the authors developed a Virtual Exchange in Global Health to connect university students in the U.S. with counterparts in Lebanon, who worked in teams to address humanitarian problems in Syrian refugee camps. Early results demonstrate the value of this approach. At dramatically lower cost than traditional study abroad—and with essentially no carbon footprint—students recognized complementary strengths in each other through bidirectional programming, learned about local needs and priorities through Virtual Reality, and built sustaining relationships while addressing a difficult real-world problem. The authors learned that technology could effectively facilitate socially responsible global health programming and do so at low cost. The program has important implications for teaching and learning during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

The Impact of Blended Learning using the Ideas Box on the Motivation for Learning Among Non-formal Syrian Female Refugee Students in Jordan

The study aims to identify the impact of blended learning using the Ideas Box on the motivation toward learning among non-formal education female students in the Syrian refugee camps in Jordan. A semi-experimental approach was adopted; the sample of the study consisted of 30 female students enrolled in the Culture Promotion Program for Dropouts, second cycle, in the JOHUD Center for Social Support in January 2020. The experimental group consisted of 15 students who were taught the Islamic Pillars unit using the Ideas Box while the control group consisted of 15 students taught the same unit using the traditional way. Results show that there were no significant differences in mean scores of motivation between the two groups. This finding stresses the need for redesigning the current program used to teach students receiving the non-formal education to incorporate the Ideas Box into the curriculum.