Palestinians at a large refugee camp share their stories and their delectables with the PC(USA) delegation
Jordan’s Gaza Camp, also known as Jerash Camp, is home to 40,000 refugees
JERASH, Jordan — Last week at Gaza Camp, a program offered by the Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees under the Middle East Council of Churches, the PC(USA) delegation last week was treated — literally — by people living and working in the sprawling Gaza Camp, also known as Jerash Camp.
Faris Swais, DSPR’s executive director, said programs offered chiefly to women include vocational training, health and livelihood. DSPR is a partner of ACT Alliance, which is also a partner of the PC(USA). Gaza Camp is home to up to five generations of refugees whose refugee status dates back to 1948 as a result of the First Arab-Israeli War, the Six-Day War. Gaza Camp started in 1968 as a temporary solution for some 11,500 Palestinians fleeing Gaza during the Six-Day War in 1967.
Today, Gaza Camp, which is near the famous Roman ruins of Jerash, is home to more than 43,000 residents. With the help of interpreter Alaa Al Salaiti, DSPR’s project manager, the visiting delegation heard directly from a number of refugees who have been trained to operate a business, many out of their homes, and were eager to share not only their stories, but their delicious wares as well.
One after another, the refugee group, which included one man, explained the size of their family and the hope and benefits they've experienced by running their own business.
One woman, a head of household with seven family members, appeared with her daughter to show handicrafts made from recycled fan covers. After her presentation, the mother excused herself to attend a class.
Another said she was lucky to be selected for DSPR’s program for escaping poverty known as Forsa. She puts her customers’ logos on hats, T-shirts, mugs and other goods. As part of her proposal, this woman did a marketing study to secure a home business grant and start operating. The family is visited monthly to check progress, and is beginning to generate income.
Another woman from Jordan tried catering and then settled on producing handmade chocolates, which she generously distributed to the guests. The first shop owner she sat down with liked her chocolates so much he ordered about 26 pounds of them. “That’s very good for anyone who operates a home business,” Al Salaiti noted. She’s taught family members her recipes for Haneen Chocolate and now divides the proceeds between investing in the business and family needs. She hopes to purchase additional equipment and has started a savings account.
Another Palestinian woman dressed in a colorful shawl does sewing and embroidery work. After sewing for a company, she established her own business and already plans to purchase a second sewing machine. One son received technical training at the camp to work in a shop; another has found work with an employer making fresh juice. That makes three income-producers in the family.
A Jordanian woman wearing a pink scarf is a tailor with 30 years of experience. She and her daughter were trained through the program and opened a home business. She still collaborates with a former employer, and this day showed visitors dresses, skirts and tops, some with intricate beading. “She is looking to share her knowledge and experience [with others] to work with her or to operate their own business,” Al Salaiti said.
A woman in a tan scarf said her son, a blacksmith, used to have to rent tools, which took up much of the family’s income. Under the training program, he’s purchasing his own tools, and the income has improved her mental health, Al Salaiti said, adding: “She is happy with what happened to her.”
One woman said people have always found her cooking tasty, and so she based her business on that feedback. She’s collaborating with area shops to sell that tasty food, which this day included cookies she distributed to grateful guests.
Another woman produces chocolates for people with diabetes, which together with hypertension affects 8 in 10 Jordanians, Al Salaiti said. She and many others belong to a savings group, which pools their Jordanian dinars (each worth about $1.40) to help families just getting started.
The lone man who presented first learned through Forsa how to install solar panels. During recent winter months, this entrepreneur turned to perfume production, using a questionnaire he developed with the help of artificial intelligence to design a customized product for each customer.
After the presentations, Swais and Al Salaiti spoke to the visitors as they ate still more food products that refugees had produced. Al Salaiti noted that more than half of Jordan’s population are now refugees. About 2.5 million are Palestinians, while 1.3 million are Syrians. Sudanese, Libyans and Iraqis also comprise significant percentages.
“Jordanians are very sensitive to the refugee situation,” he said. At Gaza Camp, “we are working on social cohesion, Palestinians and Syrians together.” Many Jordanian families host refugees at no cost, he said.
In return, Syria has been investing in Jordan, hosts one of the largest refugee populations per capita in the world, he noted.
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