Cyber City Refugees

UNHCR (United Nations High Commission for Refugees) oversees the refugee camps in Jordan.  LDS Charities has worked closely with them for the past few years during the tremendous influx of Syrians and Iraqis into Jordan.  We don't do large projects, but we do fill in the "gaps."  An example is when the camps were being set up on muddy ground LDS charities brought in several loads of gravel.  Later when a tragic fire was caused by faulty electrical systems, we came to the rescue and had it repaired quickly.  Initially we made some very significant contributions of clothing and other items.

LDS Charities has not been heavily involved since the initial set-up of the camps so this week we decided to check in on UNHCR to see if there is anything else we can do.  The meeting was held in a place called Cyber City, an industrial park near Ramtha.  Inside Cyber City in a secure guarded area is an old office building that houses 264 families--Syrians and Palestenians.  UNHCR has an office in a portable building located on the grounds.

264 refugee families live in this building.  

We were not allowed to take pictures, but we got this one from the internet.

In order to get into the area we had to pass by a Jordanian police guard who wanted to know what we wanted, and why we were there.  It wasn't easy for us to make him understand, but after we showed him our business card (one side in English, the other in Arabic) and he made a phone call to UNHCR to confirm the appointment the gate was opened and he let us go in.

The young woman we met at UNHCR was the senior field assistant with responsibilities for Cyber City and King Abdullah camps in the Ramtha area. She offered us hot breakfast sandwiches of pita bread filled with melted cheese (delicious!).  During our conversation she told us that the people living in the building are Syrians and Palestenians.  She explained that medical care and schooling is available, but the people cannot work or own land.  There is a lot of security in the camp that is overseen by Jordanian police.

In an article published in the Jordan Times one refugee says "a few months ago, if you arranged it with the right people (in Syria), you knew you would arrive in Jordan safely.  Now if  you try to flee, there is a 50 percent chance that you won't make it."  She said she decided to take the risk in order to receive emergency medical care for her husband, whose legs were severed by loyalists last month for what they believe was retribution for his cousin's participation in pro-democracy protests.  "If we stayed there was no question we would die.  If we fled we knew we had a chance to survive."

Others were not so lucky.  Syrian forces opened fire on the couple and some 20 other civilians accompanying them on their journey around 5 kilometers out from the Jordanian-Syrian border.  At least two of their party were killed.  "We have no money, we have no home, we have no idea where we will go," she said, "but at least we no longer have fear."

We hope they can find a home somewhere and we wish with all our hearts we could do something more to help them.