TheMarka refugee camp (Arabic:مخيم ماركا) is one of six emergency camps erected in 1968 to shelter 15,000Palestinian refugees fleeing theWest Bank and theGaza Strip due to the1967 Arab-Israeli war. Located in theMarka district of metropolitanAmman, about ten kilometers northeast of the city center, it is known locally asHittin (حطين) orSchneller and houses 44,879UNRWA registered refugees and over 17,500 displaced persons.[1]
Initially, therefugee camp consisted of tents erected on land area covering some 917,000 square metres. Plans to provide stronger tents for the harsh winters were shelved by United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) so as to construct 4,000 prefabricated shelters instead, between 1969 and 1971. Funding for the construction came from theFederal Republic of Germany, the Government ofItaly, the Jordan Development Bank, and Near East Emergency Donations. Over the years since, inhabitants have built their own more durable concrete shelters.[1]
Two secondary schools in the camp are operated by the government of Jordan and there is a health centre operated byMedical Aid for Palestinians (MAP UK). A local committee in the camp operate a sewing centre and a computer centre. All other education, health and social services are provided by UNRWA, whose 418 staff members run 10 schools serving 9,492 pupils and two health centres for some 1012 patients a day. Over 600 families in the camp receive extra assistance through a special hardship case programme and sanitation works are also provided by UNRWA.[1]
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References
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32°00′32.86″N36°01′13.71″E / 32.0091278°N 36.0204750°E /32.0091278; 36.0204750
