Refugee camp
When there is a war or some other armed conflict in a country, many people will try to flee (run away) from that country. They will go to other countries, around the country where there is no war. Because they fled, they are called refugees.
If there are just a few refugees coming into a country it is generally no problem to get housing for them somewhere. However, if there are many (or if the government of a country expects many) refugees, it may build what is called a refugee camp. This is usually done by putting many tents, and a few toilets and showers on an unused plot (stretch) of land. This is usually land where no one wants to live.
Usually the governments hope that conflicts get resolved soon, and that those camps are only temporary.
This has not been the case for the refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, for example. Those camps have existed since the mid-1970s.
A refugee camp in Guinea
Refugee Camp Media
Nahr el-Bared, Palestinian refugee camp in North Lebanon in 2005
Mitzpe Ramon, development camp for Jewish refugees, southern Israel, 1957
Market stalls at Nong Samet Refugee Camp in 1984: The market was established and run by the refugees and sold goods from Thailand, as well as food, supplies, and medicines distributed by aid agencies.
Refugee tent in Iraq (painted by artist Seb Toussaint)
Darfur refugee camp in Chad
Related pages
Other websites
- Camp Management Toolkit Archived 2007-12-14 at the Wayback Machine published by Norwegian Refugee Council
- Shelter Library Archived 2007-10-27 at the Wayback Machine Resource for organisations responding to the transitional settlement and shelter needs of displaced populations
- U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants' Campaign to End Refugee Warehousing Archived 2007-08-14 at the Wayback Machine in refugee camps around the world, people are confined to their settlement and denied their basic rights.