People frequently ask me about the communities we work with. Who are they? What is their story?
To know these people, the untapped potential they have and feel their amazing energy you have to spend time with them. And the more you know, the more you want to know.
Until today, we did projects with the Za'atari Refugee Camp, Jerash Refugee Camp, The SOS village Amman and a number of underprivileged schools.
I will be introducing these communities through our blog, starting with the Jerash Refugee Camp in this post.
Jerash Camp Facts & Figures
- Set up in Jordan in 1968 for 11,500 Palestine refugees who left the Gaza Strip as a result of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
- Known as the "Gaza Refugee Camp"
- Between 1968 and 1971, 2,000 shelters were built with support from emergency donations.
- Many roofs of the shelters are made of corrugated zinc & asbestos sheets, which can cause diseases such as cancer.
- According to a FaFo report published in 2013, Jerash camp is the poorest among the ten Palestine refugee camps in Jordan, with 52.7 percent of Palestine refugees having an income below the national poverty line of JD 814.
- The highest number of Palestine refugees who don’t have health insurance, with 88 percent of refugees not covered by any health insurance.
- Today more than 29,000 registered refugees live in Jerash Camp. In a 0.75 square kilometer area.
Refugees in this camp were not granted Jordanian citizenship which means that they do not hold a national ID number.
Without a national ID number, there are a number of services and professions to which they have limited or no access, including the Jordanian National Aid Fund (poverty support), university scholarships, government health insurance, the majority of positions in the public sector and professions such as dentistry and legal practice.
(All facts and figures mentioned here-above are take from the UNRWA website)
Jerash Camp In The Eyes Of The Orenda Tribe
Running a number of Art sessions and implementing giving back projects in the camp created a beautiful personal bond between us and the camp residents.
Below are a few moments captured by Me and The Orenda Tribe volunteers during our visits to the camp:
Despite the hardships that the people of the camp are passing through they still have a positive outlook on life. They are the ones who inspired me with hope instead of the other way around.
Th below picture was taken after one of our projects in the camp, when the camp residents insisted to invite us to lunch as a thank you.
During the school beautification project, the camp residents lent us a helping hand and filled the room with their positive energy that fueled us to finish the project. You would be awed by the amazing talents that we came across.
The following picture was taken while camp residents shared their stories with us over tea.
While walking through the camp, a man asks to take a group picture with us. The people of the Gaza Camp are welcoming and kind even to outsiders.
This place is full of stories, hope, life, talents and great potential. Once you visit it, it steals a part of your heart and you'll want to go more.
Thank you for the One Love Organization who connected us to the camp and to all the volunteers who joined The Orenda Tribe throughout its projects.
We are currently working on a long term sustainable project that can be hopefully implemented in the camp.
Inspire Hope,
Zaid Souqi
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Support our cause of empowering children through art, by buying our 100% organic cotton purposeful t-shirts. The artwork on the T-Shirts is made by children living in our partner communities and refugee camps. A gift with a cause.
Link to our collection: Our T-Shirts
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