Relief Assistance for Syrian Refugees in Jordan

In this report, one of JEN staff reports about a recycling project in the Za’atari Refugee Camp.

I am in charge of the recycling project in the Za’atari Refugee Camp.

Recycling has various advantages and we anticipate the following results from our efforts. Especially, the creation of new revenue opportunities for both male and, female refugees over a broad age ranges.

This project was launched on a trial basis in one of the 12 districts in the camp by an international NGO in the summer of 2015. The initiative was then introduced to all districts by November 2016. JEN is responsible for the recycling project in Districts 3, 4 and 5 in cooperation with the NGO.

The purpose of this project is to collect the recyclable waste generated in everyday life, such as glass, metals, textile and cardboard boxes, in order to reduce waste. This recyclable waste collected from each household is sent to a recycle centre located away from the residential area in the camp where it is separated according to material.

In the districts in which JEN is active, a total of 24 Syrian women and 18 Syrian men work as guidance staff and recyclable waste collection staff. They have been trained in the details of this recycling project and understand how to communicate with and get a message across to refugees. This is because separation of waste is unfamiliar to Syrians, we firstly explained them the importance of the project and what kind of waste is to be collected.

After the training, the guidance staff and also the collection staff asked householders to collect recyclable waste. The householders who understand the significance of this project due to the guidance staff’s explanation help to recycle waste. We have distributed a rubbish bin to every house to make separation easier. We also monitor the progress of each team and carry out co-ordination between the teams' members.

During the waste collecting, sometimes some householders do not participate into our system of the waste collecting. When it was occurred, I would offer advice that two of the teams, both the guidance and collecting staff, need to co-ordinate a communication each other. There were only a few cases, I would visit the householders on behalf of the teams. Therefore, their communication skills have been fostered by solving this kind of situations.

I have been involved in similar activities with humanitarian support organisations including JEN over the last five years, through which I have learned how to communicate with and support refugees who are in a difficult situation. The feeling that I am helping refugees makes me feel proud and gives me inspiration to improve myskills. I would like to further enhance my management skills.

The purpose of the activity to maintain the water tanks is to keep water, which the refugees drink, safe and clean.

Lorries carrying water run all around the refugee camps and fill the tanks with water every day. Owing to hot weather and dust in air, there is a possibility of spreading of bacteria everywhere in the tank and change in water quality, thereby causing bacterial outbreak or increase in deposit and algae.

In the past, JEN used to disinfected public water tanks of the 3rd, 4th, 5th section at least twice a year as a folk group supporting water–hygiene activity. Later on, as more and more people came to have their own tank, JEN also began to disinfect private water tanks. The total number of water tanks disinfected in these 3 sections has amounted to 1,000.

The maintenance team collects water tanks from people and disinfects them. At the first, tanks are washed with detergent and water, then disinfected with chlorine, and finally rinsed. JEN works carefully not to leave chlorine of more than 1.8ppm.

There used to be a problem with people not leaving their tanks to us, as worrying about the tanks not being returned to them or being exchanged to old ones.

In order to solve such problem, efforts were made to disseminate the right information to people as well as the merits and importance of tank disinfection.

Originally, as we had built up relationship of mutual trust between people of 3rd-5th section, we succeeded in persuading all of them. Also, this time operation, we could return water tanks to everyone at the end of working day as well.

At this time, JEN’s role is in charge of surveying the chlorine rate left in the tank after disinfection. We aim to obtain a numerical value as exactly as possible and let people know the water in the tank is safe to drink.
Moreover, all of the JEN staff has a strong motivation every time we obtain a good result.

We believe that monitoring an index and an evaluating result of work is indispensable in providing a supporting hand to the refugees properly.

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Many people living in the camp have begun installing toilets for their dwellings. Some people install the toilets themselves, while others ask for help from other refugees who have the skills to complete the task.

As a result, only a few people are coming to use the public toilet facilities built by support groups several years ago. The toilets here are approaching the end of their duties.

Meanwhile, there are families who remain unable to have a household toilet due to a lack of skills and money.

Moreover, even if a household toilet has been installed, many of these facilities consist of just a hole in the floor, with no walls around it, no windows for a cross-breeze, no door locks, and so on, failing to meet the minimum requirements set by organizations involved in water, sanitation and hygiene programmes.

To help refugees live in dignity, JEN is rushing to carry out construction work to improve these household toilets.