About Zaatari Camp

Although most of the refugees in Jordan have settled in urban areas, there are around fifteen refugee camps spread across the country where humanitarian aid has been provided since the beginning of the crisis eleven years ago. In the city of Mafraq, North of Jordan, the Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees hosts more than 79,000 Syrians, according to UNHCR 2021 data. The camp is divided into 12 districts and has evolved from tents to a semi-permanent city since its creation in 2012 (Oxfam International, 2017). Zaatari comprises now around 30,000 shelters and buildings (BBC, 2016) and the Camp covers a total area of 5.4 km2, where around 3,000 informal businesses have been established (UNHCR, 2018).

Women and children state for more than half of the population of refugees in Zaatari Camp, where children under the age of five are almost 20% of the population and where around 80 babies are born every week (UNCHR, 2018). Syrian refugee women and children, especially those living in camps, face a high prevalence of malnutrition. Micronutrient deficiency remains consistently high among women and children. A report from 2014 indicates the prevalence of anemia was 48.7%, 64%, and 44.7% among children under 5, children under 2, and women of reproductive age respectively.