 |
| A child walks outside her family’s tent at the Zaatari Refugee Camp near Mafraq on Saturday. The camp’s 5,000 children face many difficulties in adjusting to life as refugees (Photo by Muath Freij) |
MAFRAQ
— "I used to play football with my friends; they were like my brothers.
Now, I have no idea where they are or if they are even alive,"
13-year-old Mohammad Ameen told The Jordan Times outside his tent at the
Zaatari Refugee Camp.
At
the camp, where UNICEF says around 5,000 Syrian children aged between
six and 18 are currently living, young people said that the violence in
their country had driven them far from their homes, friends and any
sense of normalcy.
Mohammad Majid, who came to Zaatari from Daraa 25 days ago, said he was having trouble making new friends.
"I
only have one new friend at the camp. I do not know anyone else because
most children stay in their families' tents. Also, most people at the
camp are people older than me," the 12-year-old told The Jordan Times.
Sweating in the desert heat, Majid said that summer used to be his favourite season. Not anymore.
"I
used to go out to ride my bicycle when I finished school, and hang out
with my friends at night. Now, these are only memories," he said.
With
a lack of entertainment options at the Zaatari camp and harsh weather
keeping them indoors for much of the day, many refugee children suffer
from boredom, on top of the trauma and the disorientation of
displacement.
"We
hardly play football. There is a play area in the camp, but my parents
do not let me go there because it is far from our tent and people older
than me play there as well," Zakaria Hoshan said.
"My
parents do not allow me to go out because they are scared that the heat
will affect our health," his 10-year-old cousin said.
In
an effort to ease the hardship of refugee life for the camp’s young
residents, international organisations have created spaces for children
to play, UNICEF communication specialist Samir Badran said.
"There
are four safe centres supported by the UNICEF at Zaatari camp designed
for children to play and learn,” Badran said, adding that each of these
centres includes three large tents that can accommodate up to 50
children at a time and host recreational programmes supported by UNICEF
and implemented by Save the Children.
"It gives them a chance to meet new friends as well," he pointed out.
Education gap
Many of the children at the Zaatari camp have not been to school since even before they fled their countries.
Mustafa Hariri said that he missed his school days, which ended with the start of the conflict in Syria early last year.
"When the violence began, no one dared to go to school," the seven-year-old said.
His
mother, who refused to reveal her name, said that with Syrian regime
forces firing on demonstrators and doing battle with armed rebels, she
had stopped sending her son to school out of fear that he would be
caught in the crossfire.
"My
husband and I were scared that we would lose our son," she said. "I
hope that my child will have the chance to continue his studies in the
camp."...READ MORE
