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Zaatari Camp

• Peace Oasis programming con-

tinues successfully in Zaatari

camp. The program now has 16

Syrian staff comprising education

and mental health professionals,

recruited from amongst camp

residents. Currently 120 boys

and 120 girls are attending regu-

lar programming for three

months.

• The bulk of an 80,000 gifts-in-

kind sweater donation has been

received from Canadian partner

CLWR. LWF is in the process

of scheduling the distribution

through the facilities of NRC.

• A project distributing hygiene

kits in Zaatari camp has been

tentatively approved in coordina-

tion with Czech partners.

• LWF‘s work giving grants to-

wards establishing local NGOs in

Mafraq has been featured in a

Jordanian media production.

Meetings:

• UNHCR-led Sector Working

Groups in Amman and Zaatari:

including Food/Food Security,

Education, Camp Management,

and Protection.

Challenges:

• The shortages of gas bottles has

been resolved, and LWF has

been hurriedly distributing re-

placements to those whose cylin-

ders were delayed.

February Activities:

Host Communities

• As of the end of February the

bulk of commodity winterisa-

tion distributions have been

completed.

• Winterisation beneficiaries in

Irbid, for February: 1,298 fami-

lies received winterisation

supplies, 401 JOR families and

897 SYR families

• Winterisation beneficiaries in

Mafraq for February: 539 JOR

families and 523 SYR families.

• Handover of Idoon Benni

Hassan school is complete,

and classes have begin in the

new classrooms funded by the

BMZ social cohesion project.

• As a continuation of the BMZ

Social Cohesion project,

WASH blocks at some

schools will be upgraded.

This entails complete reno-

vation of toilets and hygiene

facilities.

• A hygiene kit distribution for

host communities has been

approved in partnership with

Wakachiai Organisation/

Japan Platform. Procurement

has begun.

• Shelter and basic WASH

facility upgrades are ongoing

as part of the CLWR-funded

winterisation project. 44

homes were upgraded in

Februrary. One family’s fea-

ture story is features on the

next page of this newsletter.

L U T H E R A N W O R L D L U T H E R A N W O R L D L U T H E R A N W O R L D L U T H E R A N W O R L D

F E D E R A T I O NF E D E R A T I O NF E D E R A T I O NF E D E R A T I O N

LWF Jordan Update F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 4 | I S S U E 1 1

I N T H I S I S S U E

Program and Funding

Update, page 1

Feature Story: Finding

Shelter, page 2

Staff Update, page 3

Program Achievements and Challenges

LWF Zaatari staff member Nadia Al Ebrahim leads a group of

women in an ice-breaker exercise. Photo Florian Hubner/LWF

2

Feature Story: Finding Shelter LWF beneficiaries Rakan (29), his wife Zainab (21) and their two small daughters, Bushra and Bayan live in a converted shop/

storage space in the northern Jordanian city of Mafraq. Thiers is one of 44 homes

upgraded in February as part of the CLWR/Gov Canada winterisation project.

Rakan comes from a large family with nine siblings, only one of whom remains in

Syria - a brother who is in prison. The rest have found their way to Mafraq, where

they cling to family life in their attempt to maintain some sense of normalcy. In

Homs the siblings each had their own homes, which they were forced to evacuate in

early 2013 when their neighbourhood was damaged by repeated bombing. "We

were afraid of kidnapping. The government was checking houses for insurgents."

Rakan fled with his wife, daughters and mother. "We moved from one side of Homs

to the other but the bombing persisted. Many of the people we know were ar-

rested, we hoped to escape." "We crossed the desert to reach the Jordan border,"

Rakan continues, "sometimes we walked, sometimes we rented a car. It took three

days to reach the border."

"As soon as we crossed the border the Jordanian army took us to Zaatari." He says.

"We stayed one month in Zaatari. The services were not up to standards for a hu-

man being. We decided to leave the camp to come here." Rakan pauses. "Most of

the kids got sick there, it's not safe". The family echoes the sentiments of many who

while initially were guided to Zaatari camp, then decided that they simply could not

stay. Despite disproportionate media attention to the contrary, an estimated 80%

of Syrian refugees live outside Zaatari camp amidst Jordanians in host communities.

Though in theory inside Zaatari all services are provided, many feel more comfort-

able taking their chances outside of the mega-camp.

Rakan and his family have been in Jordan a year, and are still forbidden by

law to work, even as day labourers, so they scrape by collecting what char-

ity they can from local and international NGOs. Zainab kisses the baby Ba-

yan and listens while Rakan and his brother commiserate on the lack of

work opportunities. "My husband asked to work for the day," she inter-

jects, "he was taken by the police and had to write a promise not to work

again." Zainab stays inside all day with the children, occasionally receiving

neighbours who stop by for visits. "All my family is in Lebanon" she says,

shrugging. "Except me, I am here."

The space they call home is 8m x 5m room and the walls are solid grey concrete. In the open shop front there are stacked

concrete blocks that provide a makeshift fourth wall, and a flimsy wooden door the refugees installed themselves. The cave-

like shop space is one of fourteen that share a long hallway, all single rooms with a small sink and bathroom alcove with no

door. Their single appliance has been donated, an old fridge that stands near the back of the room. Four small finches in

two cages above the fridge provide some much-needed colour and cheer to the otherwise cold and grey room.

LWF's basic shelter upgrade project with CLWR and the Canadian government is making improvements to spaces such as

these, installing doors and ventilation fans, as well as lights, and window panes to make spaces more livable. A ventilation

fan has been installed in the bathroom alcove, with plans to add a bathroom door for privacy and hygiene reasons. "We are

grateful for the help," says Rakan, "thanks be to God." Heather Patterson/LWF

Rakan in front of the bathroom alcove, to

which LWF will provide a secure door.

The only natural light comes from a window

that can only be opened from outside the

apartment. Even so, the family is one of the

few in the row of converted shops with ac-

cess to natural lighting or fresh air.

3

Um As-Summaq– Mithari Naimat St.

No. 2A– Amman– Jordan

Telefax: +962 6 55 61 546

www.lutheranworldfederation.org

“Uphold the Rights of the Poor and Oppressed”

Staffing Updates

Name Position

Noor Awad Finance and Administrative Officer

Nader Duqmaq Emergency Program Manager

Hiba Khoury Administrative Assistant

Heather Patterson Program Officer

Khader Al Billeh Logistics Officer

Dr. Saad Gideon Project Manager

Community Stabilisation Project

Ashraf Sahawneh Project Engineer

Community Stabilisation Project

Bashar Halaseh Logistics Support Assistant (temporary)

Maysa Khoury Data Entry (temporary)

Rasheed Nijm Project Manager, Aid Distribution

Fayez Al Nemri Project Coordinator, Shelter Upgrades

Fidah Khoury Senior Logistics Officer

Name Position

Wejdan Jarrah Psychosocial Specialist

Mohammad Al Jboor Logistics Officer, Zaatari Camp

(temporary)

Nadia Al Ebrahim Community Mobiliser, Zaatari

Camp

Khairat Ghazeah Community Mobiliser, Zaatari

Camp

Mohammed Husain Al

Alo

Community Mobiliser, Zaatari

Camp

Mohammad Abu Khair Community Mobiliser, Zaatari

Camp

Amman Office Zaatari Office

Visitors to the LWF Jordan Office in February:

• Vitaly Vorona, ELCA

• Roland Schlott (LWF Geneva) and Florian Hubner (GNC/LWF)