Jun 18,2015 – JORDAN TIMES

In April 2011, approximately one month after the beginning of the conflict in Syria, Fayez, his wife and their six children had to flee their village in Homs.

They remained displaced, moving from place to place across the country, for more than three years. Then, on the May 3, 2014, the family crossed into Jordan where they were immediately taken to the Azraq Refugee Camp, which had opened a few days earlier.

“I started working at the age of 17,” says 45-year-old Fayez.

“It was a bit difficult for me to adapt to camp life in the beginning, particularly because I had worked continuously for some 35 years. I used to work in trade, buying and selling different items from clothes to furniture.”

Fayez is now working as an incentive-based volunteer with CARE, helping the camp’s outreach team.

“Despite being in the camp almost since it opened, I did not apply for volunteering as I did not recognise our needs in the camp,” explains Fayez. “Later, I realised the food vouchers we received were not enough for us to make ends meet. We have other needs than food and shelter, so I applied to become a volunteer and I was hired.”

Fayez speaks of the differences the camp has gone through since he arrived.

“Life in the camp has improved significantly since we arrived almost one year ago,” says Fayez.

“At first, the floors consisted of gravel which was very dusty and accessible to insects and rats. There were no lights in the camp so at night it would be pitch black. Now, all the shelters have concrete floors and there are street lights at night.”

Fayez drinks coffee and plays cards with his neighbours in his spare time and says that his children are fitting into life at the camp.

“Two of my children go to school here in the camp. They are used to life in the camp now and have adapted to it.”

Displaced inside Syria for more than three years before making it to Jordan, Fayez suffered serious health problems in that time.

“I was very ill and passed out several times in the street in Syria. I was lucky there were people to help me. But when I came to the camp I sought medical treatment and was prescribed a medicine that cured me completely. I believe that most of my health problems were related to the lack of security that my family and I experienced. The moment we felt safe here, our physical health improved.”

Like many Syrian refugees, Fayez does not expect the situation in Syria to improve anytime soon.

“I don’t think the conflict in Syria will be resolved in the next 20 years or maybe more,” says Fayez.

“Even if the situation improves there, my house has been completely destroyed. Where will we return to?”

This article was contributed by CARE, one of the humanitarian agencies participating in the “Standing Together” campaign in an expression of solidarity between refugee and host community, led by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, on the occasion of World Refugee Day, June 20.

SOURCE: http://jordantimes.com/news/local/finding-home-elsewhere