Welcoming new arrivals in Za’atari refugee camp with warm clothes

March 15, 2014 marks the three-year commemoration of the beginning of the Syrian crisis.  Three years later, the number of refugees in Jordan, currently at 585,000, continues to grow and new refugees arrive at Za’atari Refugee Camp every day.

In order to respond to the needs of the refugees arriving to Za’atari, JEN has started distributing clothes to the new arrivals in the reception area of the camp.
After passing the border, the Syrian refugees are registered in UNHCR and then arrive by bus in the middle of the night in Za’atari. There, they receive food provided by WFP and Save the children, blankets by UNHCR and since Monday 10th of March 2014, JEN is distributing to each newly arrived family a bag filled with UNIQLO clothes.

[JEN distribution caravan in Za'atari reception area]

In previous distributions, family bags are personalized depending on the family size and structure following assessments to each family living in the camp. Contrary to past distributions, however, assessments cannot be carried out for new refugees and the personalization of the family bags has to be done on site. To do so, JEN distribution caravan is opened 24/7 and 7 distribution staffs work on day and night shifts to ensure efficient distributions and replenishments.

[JEN staff preparing clothes on site according to family size and structure]

On the first three days of distribution, JEN has assisted more than 800 individuals who were very glad to receive warm clothes in the middle of the night.

This distribution would not go as smoothly without the hard work of the warehouse team who sort and repack the donated clothes into neat sets. The role of this team is vital to the distribution but even so it tends to be overlooked. So JEN Amman Office is taking the opportunity to put the light on them! The team has already prepared 40,000 individual sets since the beginning of January 2014!

[The warehouse team]

The number of refugees arriving in Za’atari camp varies every day, however, JEN team is ready to welcome them with warm clothes to the Syrian refugees cope with the first cold night in the camp.

Emmeline Guerin
Program Officer

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