When Nadim wakes in the middle of the night, he tries to forget the nightmare he has just had. He knows it doesn’t help to relive the pain of losing his parents in the Syrian civil war. He tries only to remember them. At night, Nadim stays close to his 16-year-old sister and his elderly uncle in their small dwelling. Since arriving at the displacement camp two weeks ago, he has taken to sleeping this way because he is constantly afraid. Nadim has heard that teenaged girls like his sister have been attacked in the camp. Nadim and Rania were living in Homs with their parents when they were suddenly orphaned. Their uncle, Hamid, took them in but when ISIS overtook the city, they had to flee. Hamid, Rania and Nadim made the long journey south to a displacement camp just past the Jordanian border. After the loss of their parents, their home and their friends, they now live among strangers in an overcrowded camp.

Each day is filled with uncertainty. Some camp residents have found ways to earn money from small businesses, but nadim and rania have no enterprise skills and their uncle is weak and ill. Their education is on hold indefinitely so they worry about their future.

In the meantime, they are wholly dependent on humanitarian aid. They stand in line for food and water, for medicine for their uncle, and for access to the toilet. All around them, they see children who are hungry and adults who look lost. Rania has also noticed some girls her age are resorting to prostitution to make money. Many speak of these young women, as well as those who have been attacked in the camp, with contempt.

Nadim and Rania wonder if they will ever be able to return home – and whether their home still exists. They would like to think about the future in a positive way – something they once did naturally – but now the future is uncertain and even terrifying.

The Context

Rania, Nadim and Hamid are a part of a growing trend. The global population of internally displaced people, refugees and asylum-seekers has increased for the first time since the post World War II era. By the end of 2013, more than 51 million people had been forced to leave their homes.¹ These people have been driven from their homes by conflict, political instability, persecution and natural disasters. When they arrive at displacement camps, their poverty is profound and their need for humanitarian assistance is acute.

People who suffer displacement are twice as likely to be malnourished as other people in developing countries. They are more than three times as likely to be unable to send their children to school, twice as likely to see their children die before the age of five, and more than twice as likely to lack clean water and reliable access to sanitation.²

The upheaval and extreme poverty people experience in displacement camps impacts health and wellbeing. Giving birth can be terrifying and is often unsupported. Medical facilities are limited and usually overrun with people seeking care. Availability of physicians, midwives, clean facilities and medicine is entirely dependent upon the resources of humanitarian and government agencies.

Security in displacement camps is rarely good. Women and girls are in danger when they go out to get the family’s food or water and often when they simply need a restroom. The stigma suffered by a woman who is a victim of such sexual assault often stays with her throughout her life.

Our Approach

The needs of displaced persons go beyond immediate humanitarian assistance. However long people live in the camps, they expect to transition to a stable livelihood in a secure community at some point. While still in displacement camps, they need help to make that transition and prepare for a more prosperous future.

Build Strong Livelihoods
People living in displacement camps need access to interventions that will strengthen their skills, create more opportunities for income generation and promote healing. These interventions include:

• Building and rebuilding institutions that can offer employment, increase job skills and train for entrepreneurship opportunities. Interventions may also offer credit, savings and financing including insurance.
• Supporting job-based and enterprise training and literacy courses for youth and adults using existing networks, community initiatives and NGOs.

Expand Access
To address immediate needs and improve wellbeing, interventions that expand access to medical care, affordable water and energy, and sanitation can enable people to build and maintain healthy and productive lives. Including:

• Secure appropriate housing
• Adequate food, clean water, sanitation
• Medical care

Promote Social Inclusion
Social networks – especially in a time of upheaval and trauma – can support marginalized people, including displaced people, and improve wellbeing. These interventions can include:

• Addressing security concerns related to accessing basic services, schools and training, especially for girls and women
• Psychological support for people suffering from trauma • Mechanisms to build social networks around common traditions, enterprise activities or savings groups.

Read next topic:
Displacement Poverty →