photo: Sherzad saydo
Introduction:
Following the military operation carried out by The Turkish Army with participation of extremist Syrian factions (Syrian National Army) in areas of northeastern Syria and was accompanied by extensive aerial and artillery shelling along the northern border between Syria and Turkey in areas controlled by the SDF, as a result many civilians have lost their lives and thousands were injured and hence there was population’s displacement to the neighboring and safer areas.
2.2 million people were living in territory controlled by the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces). According to the UN, this included 1.3 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
The displacement took place from the cities of Tel Abyad, Ras al-Ain/ Serê Kanîyê and its countryside, and the areas that are nearly in the middle of them, and from Al-Derbasiya city and Tel Tamer in part. According to Kurdish Red Crescent statistics : (About 15.000 have arrived Iraq, Hassakeh City contains almost 3.000 families in and around 11.500 individuals, from this number we have at least: 23 unaccompanied children, more than 5000 children between the ages 0-13, and more than 400 pregnant or breastfeeding women. Those IDPs are currently divided into around 60 schools)
Many more families and individuals are displaced in and around Raqqa, Tabqa and Qamishli, and elsewhere, the number of displaced persons reached more than 200,000 from these areas heading to Al-Hasakah city, which received the largest number of displaced persons who were distributed to the host community within the neighborhoods of the city and its countryside and 70 schools (which are underprepared shelters) as well, where the cities of Qamishli, Amuda, Girkê Legê and Derik witnessed a lower rate of displacement as these areas are considered safe now and under the control of the SDF, and as a result of the current situation the self-administration has established Al- Twaina camp in Al-Jazeera area which is located 14 km northwest of Al-Hasakah.
Rapid needs assessment within the camp:
On 19 November 2019, a needs assessment of the camp was carried out via site visit and interviews with the camp administration and actors operating in the camp.
This assessment is aimed at giving a glimpse on the status quo of the living conditions and services delivered in the Twaina camp.
Population’s displacement to and from the camp:
There is a movement of many displaced families into the camp on a daily basis, where the number of arrivals to date has reached 441 families comprising of 2009 people ,586 children girl and 607 children boy and 486 women and 330 men according to the information collected directly inside the camp
There are also some returns from the camp to other places within Hasakeh city’s neighborhoods and its countryside and very few returns to their villages in the countryside of Tel Tamer.
Camp capacity:
Area allocated for camp setting up is 265 dunums
To date, 300 tents have been set up by an international organization, 78 tents and 222 tents by the camp’s administration, and tents (measuring 4×6 m) are set up on a daily basis (the number is increasing and are not properly equipped to be warm in the light of cold weather in winter).
It is noteworthy that the ground of the camp was not properly set up to avoid flood in case of heavy rains and this means that further layers of cement for each tent need to be put to stop rain from entering tents in case of such rains.
Livelihoods for internally displaced persons (IDPs) inside the camp:
Al-Twaina camp has no sources of money, the displaced people are using their savings.
As displaced people rely on working within host communities (Al-Hasakah City) on a daily basis and unskilled work.
Market assessment:
Twaina camp is 14 km and 3 km far from Al-Hasakah City Market and Al-Twaina market respectively. These two markets provide the basic requirements for the displaced populations this includes; – bakery (bread), grocery shops, meat, clothing and others such as furniture of the house and kitchen kit.
Infrastructure:
– Electricity: The camp has no electricity connection. This has resulted to the need to extend the electricity network inside the camp and connect it to the public grid and set up large generators to light the camp and provide electricity to the families in the camp, however, there seem to be no immediate plans to have the connection done, even though the issue is considered to be of utmost priority amongst the inhabitants of the camp.
– Camp ground: roads inside camp are supported with a layer and there is an urgent need to have the soil of camp be covered by broken stones and other materials, since there is no support for this need.
– Sanitation: The camp is not serviced, there is no party to work on sanitation, and there is no sanitation system in the camp.
The KRC provided prefabricated baths to the 14 centers distributed over 14 points inside the camp, comprising 60 toilets and 20 bathrooms, but these points need to be dug up by greywater disposal where waste and faeces remain on the ground and there are complaints from residents inside the camp.
The floor of the tents are started to be covered by broken stone (tents need concrete bases to protect resideznts from water and rain).
Water
There is no water or sewage system inside the camp, the population within the camp depends on water tanks provided by local organization which supply the camp daily with 25 m3 of drinking water from Tel Tamer and this water can be used for drinking and washing.
This water is being poured into plastic water tanks provided by an international organization and the number of these tanks is 34 water tanks distributed inside the camp with a capacity of 1000 liters per tank.
Health
Three non-government organizations provide medical services inside the camp in the morning and noon in the form of mobile clinics, and these organizations are:
Kurdish Red Crescent: (women’s clinic and medicine)
International organizations: (mobile pharmacy, general practitioner and midwife, Physical Therapy)
Inside the camp there are 86 people in need of health care for chronically illnesses and disabled people
Chronic diseases found in the camp are diabetes, chest diseases, asthma, heart diseases, allergies and kidney diseases.
Cases of people with special needs are speech and motor disabilities and cerebral palsy.
Kitchens:
Three large tents (each tent 20 x 6 m) were set up to be group kitchens inside the camp, but they weren’t implemented yet because they were not supported by any side and they needed a full kitchen kit and cooks (kitchen workers)
There is enough food for 15 days in case the kitchen is supported with equipment.
Family kitchen kit is not available for families.
There are no gas stoves for families living in the camp to cook food.
To date, it is being relied upon ready-to-eat food provided by local and international organizations operating in the area (including Shar efforts in distributing RTERs) and afternoon meals provided by the camp administration.
It is noteworthy that S
Children’s-friendly spaces:
There are no child-friendly spaces inside the camp, there has been no intervention so far.
Recommendations from camp administration:
– Introducing solar-powered lamps and chargers
– Urgent need for group kitchens’ kits
– Need to provide monthly food baskets for cooking and gas stove for each family cooking
– Need to sterile water to be used for children
– Winter clothes for children
– Need to 20 water tanks-capacity of 1000 liter
– Fixed medical point with night shifts and camp ambulance
– Digging of greywater disposal for the public bathrooms and this need is urgent
– The floor of the camp be furnished with broken stone since the nature of the camp’s soil is agricultural and sand.
– Cementing the tents’ floor
– Providing the camp’s heaters and heating fuel as the camp has not been supported with them yet.
Despite the ongoing violence SHAR and other local actors are continuing to serve and support the local communities affected by this displacement despite the risk of further escalation and lack of proper response to the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
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