NRC Jordan - Fact Sheet - Norwegian Refugee Council

NRC Jordan - Fact Sheet
Basic Info
Country Office: Amman Established: 2012
Field offices:
Total beneficiaries
assisted in 2013:
Al Zaatari camp (North
Jordan),Irbid, Azraq Camp
218,000
Country Director:
Budget 2012: 15 million NOK International staff: 13
Budget 2013: Expected 200 million NOK National staff 170
Carsten Hansen
Updated June 2013
Donors.
Main Donors
NMFA, ECHO, Sida, UNHCR, UNICEF,
Humanitarian and political context :
While the Jordanian government has maintained an open door policy to refugees arriving from Syria, the
government is stretched in its capacity to meet the growing needs of the increasing refugee population. The
number of identified Syrian refugees in Jordan is over 480,000 while the Jordanian government estimates
there to be more than 540,000 Syrians in the country. Already facing domestic political, social and economic
challenges, the large number of refugees and steady influx of refugees from Syria to Jordan is straining the
already limited resources available. UNHCR estimates that one million refugees will live in Jordan by the end
of the year.
Zaatari Refugee Camp has grown to become the sixth largest city in the country, and now hosts
approximately than 100,000 refugees. The camp is over-stretched and resources are rapidly being depleted
amidst the continuation of massive influxes of refugees. With Zaatari Camp severely at capacity, the
establishment of a new camp in Jordan is imminent in order to absorb newly arriving refugees. The new
Azraq Camp, which is set to open soon, will have the capacity to host more than 100,000 refugees and NRC
is playing a lead role in the development and operation of this camp. Despite large number of refugees
currently living in camps, the majority continues to live amongst host communities increasingly depleting
existing resources and thus creating increased in tension between communities.
While the overall security situation in Jordan remains fairly stable, the situation in Zaatari Camp has
increasingly deteriorated. This is causing extraordinary pressure on the refugee population as the population
increase and their needs are exacerbated while resources are diminishing. This also presents problems for
humanitarian actors on the ground, including NRC, where service delivery is impeded due to security
concerns.
There have many reports of intense fighting inside Syria in various locations between government and
opposition forces, NRC is extremely concerned about the terrible impact this has on the civilian population
and those seeking to flee the violence by crossing into neighbouring states.With the Syria conflict not
deemed to settle in the near future, the displacement within and from Syria is set to increase. Contingency
planning is key to ensure humanitarian needs are met in a consistent and coherent way. UN recently
released its fifth regional appeal for funds and it is crucial that donor agencies provide the necessary
resources for relief organisations like NRC to provide essential assistance and protection to Syrians fleeing
violence in their homeland.
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NRC in Jordan:
The NRC programme in Jordan started implementation in November 2012 and has since then grown into an
operation which now has a staff-force of 170 people working across a wide range of programs. NRC has
positioned itself in Jordan as one of the lead partners of UNHCR and UNICEF and is providing unique,
effective and innovative shelter solutions, both in camp-settings and in host communities, in addition to
ensuring quality education is delivered to Syrian refugee children and that targeted programs are developed
for youth, whilst working towards ensuring protection is an integral part of our programming, and that of other
agencies.
Shelter (Camp): Building on our expertize, NRC is the lead partner of UNHCR in providing refugees with
setting up tents, having erected more than 50,000 tents for Syrian refugees so far in 2013. Further, NRC is
responsible for the provision of non-food items, such as hygiene articles, kitchen items and mattresses, to all
refugees as they arrive at the camp. Additionally, preparations are underway to begin the construction of
transitional shelters in Azraq – shelters that are more durable, more appropriate, and more reusable than
tents.
Shelter (Host communities): Seeking to address the deficit of adequate affordable housing available in the
rental market, NRC is working with property owners to upgrade existing properties that are currently not for
rent. Incentives for property improvements will allow landlords to bring new units onto the rental market
specifically for Syrian refugees in return for a rent-free period of one year. NRC collaborates closely with
communities to identify Syrian refugees most in need, and supports them with small cash grants to be able to
move into these newly available properties.
Education: NRC is working with UNICEF to ensure children in Zaatari and the smaller Emirates-Jordanian
Camp (EJC) are able to access quality education in a supportive, enabling and secure environment. NRC is
providing programs for youth through vocational training and other empowerment activities such as basic
literacy, life-skills and leadership training activities in Zaatari. Additionally, in both Zaatari and EJC, NRC is
also providing catch-up classes to children aged 7-15, who have been out of school for a protracted period to
ensure that they can rejoin formal schooling at their appropriate grade. Once Azraq Camp opens and begins
accommodating refugees, NRC will be running specialized programming for youth, for example vocational
training with skills they can then use both in the camp and when they are ready to return to Syria.
NRC priorities for 2013 and beyond:
NRC has offices in Amman and Irbid, and in Zaatari and Azraq Camps. As the refugee crisis is only expected
to worsen in 2013, NRC will focus on contingency planning to ensure necessary responses are in place at
the right time allowing for planned increase in number of beneficiaries.
With the upcoming opening of the new Azraq Camp, NRC is preparing to take on its central role in the
construction of an estimated 100 shelters per day, as well as general camp infrastructure. Additionally, NRC
will continue its work in Zaatari, ensuring refugees have adequate shelter, basic household items and access
to education.
Lastly, given the legal challenges that refugees are facing, NRC is looking to provide information services to
help refugees better understand their rights and available services, to better allow them to make informed
decisions, both for their time in Jordan and once a resolution to the crisis in Syria is found.
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