Emergencies , Water & sanitation , Syrian Refugee Crisis

Syrian refugees receive some hygienic relief

Thanks to generous Australians, World Vision has made tremendous headway in improving and managing the living conditions of tens of thousands of refugees at the center of the Syrian conflict.

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The five year conflict in Syria has caused a major dislocation of people, thousands of whom have entered Jordan.

Syrian refugees in the Jordanian desert battle constant stress, the strain of displacement and an unclear future, but hygiene facilities provide some relief in the harsh conditions. Thanks to some toilets and clean water provided by World Vision, many Syrian refugees are able to avoid life-threatening diseases like cholera and dysentery often rife in temporary close-living communities.

Since first responding to the Syrian refugee crisis in Jordan, World Vision has reached almost 300,000 Syrian refugees and vulnerable Jordanians in camps and host communities. One of the priorities in the biggest Syrian refugee camp, Azraq, has been to ensure that there is access to water supply and sanitation infrastructure (WASH), and to train WASH Committees on hygiene promotion. World Vision is one of the main WASH actors operating in the camp to provide a safe and sanitary living environment for the refugees.

10 water tanks

installed by World Vision in Azraq refugee camp

4 sites

provided for water storage

35 tap stands

installed with underground piped connections to the central tanks

2,600

below ground WASH structures built

such as sewerage pits and drainage

2,600

above ground structures built

such as doors, roofs and toilets

1,584

additional structures built

 Possibility through compassion

World Vision's focus on water, hygiene, and sanitation has met the needs of thousands of displaced Syrian children through the installation of new WASH facilities in 100 schools in Jordan and large-scale water and sanitation infrastructure. World Vision’s work has ensured that every shelter in Azraq has immediate access to WASH centres – each one with partitioned stalls for toilets and bathing. Almost every household in the camp currently use these centres for at least one of their intended purposes. Almost 90% of Azraq refugees also rely on the supplied water stations as their main source of drinking water.

Thanks to the support of donors, World Vision has worked tirelessly to ensure that Azraq is a place where everyone’s basic human needs are met. This is no easy feat, either. The average rainfall in the area could barely fill half a coffee cup, a situation many refugees are struggling with after coming from the relatively wet region of Syria. With almost 30,000 refugees currently housed in Azraq and a capacity of 100,000, much still needs to be done to ensure basic demands continue to be met.

Water being transported into Azraq (left) and construction of facilities in progress under the careful watch of World Vision WASH expert Rajesh Pasupuleti (right). Photos: Robert Neufeld and Rajesh Pasupuleti.

2 toilets

for every six families (approx. 24 people) in Azraq

Daily testing

of every water tanker and tap stand at the Azraq camp

2 showers

for every six families

250 people

served by each water collection tap across the camp

30 litres of water

the daily minimum amount of water received by each person in the camp

250 metres

the maximum walking distance between any household and the nearest water point

Keeping Azraq sustainable 

World Vision's aid strategy in response to the Syrian refugee crisis has a focus on long-term solutions with hygiene promotion training occurring in institutions at the camp – ensuring that even after World Vision shifts its focus to other global crises, staff and refugees can continue to utilise the sanitation facilities in a safe and functional way. Through this program, adults and children alike are learning about the benefits of conserving water. In partnership with other locally-based organisations, World Vision is drilling boreholes near the camp in an effort to locate local water sources and reduce the need to transport huge volumes into Azraq daily.

All refugees have the basic right to access safe water of sufficient quality and quantity and to access hygienic sanitation services, both at home and at institutions including schools and health facilities. This reduces sickness and death while enhancing protection, dignity and quality of life for refugees and other persons of concern. For just $60, you can help ensure that a child caught up in this terrible conflict can gain access to clean drinking water and other urgent hygiene needs.

Azraq-WASH-2

 Syrian refugee children carry water through a camp village. Photo: Mike Bailey