Post by account_disabled on Mar 6, 2024 9:28:49 GMT 1
How solar energy has changed the lives of Syrian refugees in Jordan.
“Our family left everything behind and basically fled for our lives. He was too naive to fully understand what was happening, it felt like a truly horrible nightmare. I just thought it would end at some point and we'll go home."
Zahra Abbas was when she fled to Jordan from Syria in the winter of with her parents, younger brother and elderly aunt. They were among the first Syrian refugees to settle in the Za'atari camp and are still there.
Located near the northeastern municipality of Mafraq, Za'atari opened in July as the first Syrian refugee camp in Jordan and has since become a permanent settlement.
"I didn't know how long we would be here, but I didn't think it would be this long," said Abbas, now “It was almost nothing when we got here, I remember we had flashlights and a portable stove as a sou C Level Executive List rce of heat to get through the winter. We lived in a real tent. It was cold, dark and scary. Nothing like what it is now."
Today, Za'atari is not only one of Jordan's largest cities by population, with , inhabitants, but it is also the largest solar-powered Syrian refugee camp in the world . The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates that the MW solar plant saves , metric tons of carbon emissions and $ million in fuel costs annually, compared to using generators diesel.
Residents say better access to electricity has changed their lives, but more is needed to take advantage of remote work and study opportunities. Experts say it could provide a model for expanding renewable energy in Jordan and reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.
syrian refugees
"Unhabitable conditions"
In the weeks after Abbas and his family settled in the camp, the population of Za'atari skyrocketed, peaking at about , in April in an area of just over square kilometers.
In its early years, the camp struggled with little or no infrastructure, while UNHCR and other international humanitarian aid groups addressed urgent daily needs such as water , food, and health services.
The lack of basic infrastructure, such as electricity, water and waste management, as well as the post-traumatic stress that many refugees were experiencing, led to several clashes, protests and attacks against aid workers.
It is now an established settlement of cabins and caravans in the middle of the desert with shops, restaurants and a small market or two.
As a long-term resident, Abbas has witnessed the change from “unlivable” conditions to a place that allows young Syrian refugees to have some autonomy over the quality of their lives and their future.
“I remember being scared. We had no walls around us, there was no proper electricity, and it got dark very early. I didn’t feel safe,” says Abbas. “Of course, it was nothing like the Syrian war, but it was not a liveable environment either. It got better over the years."
Construction of , solar panels on the Za'atari border began in April , in response to power shortages that the underfunded UNHCR was struggling to address.
“It was becoming impossible to provide electricity to the camp. UNHCR simply could not pay a million-dollar-a-month electricity bill,” says Mohamed Al-Taher, UNHCR external relations officer in Za'atari. To reduce costs, camp officials limited access to electricity to eight hours a day, from p.m. to a.m.
With a power generation capacity of MW, the solar plant is capable of providing to hours of electricity every day to each camp building, street lighting and operational facilities through a local network.
Each household in Za'atari can use approximately kWh per year, compared to , kWh for the average individual living in Jordan outside the camps.
Funding for the $ million project came from the German government, through the KfW Development Bank. Arab Gulf countries are increasingly important donors to UNHCR's work in the region serving Syrian refugees. Recent on-the-ground studies reveal Saudi Arabia's influence within the countryside: aid containers carrying the Kingdom's flag are not an unusual sight.
Syrian refugees in the camp say more reliable access to electricity has opened the doors to a much better quality of life.
“For me, the feeling of security that comes with street lights after dark has been a very important improvement,” says Abbas. “I had so much anxiety before.”
Over the past nine years, Abbas has gotten married, given birth to two children, improved her graphic design skills (which she was already interested in before the war broke out), and was able to earn some income through freelance graphic design work. for small businesses in Jordan and Syria, all while living in Za'atari.
“Our family left everything behind and basically fled for our lives. He was too naive to fully understand what was happening, it felt like a truly horrible nightmare. I just thought it would end at some point and we'll go home."
Zahra Abbas was when she fled to Jordan from Syria in the winter of with her parents, younger brother and elderly aunt. They were among the first Syrian refugees to settle in the Za'atari camp and are still there.
Located near the northeastern municipality of Mafraq, Za'atari opened in July as the first Syrian refugee camp in Jordan and has since become a permanent settlement.
"I didn't know how long we would be here, but I didn't think it would be this long," said Abbas, now “It was almost nothing when we got here, I remember we had flashlights and a portable stove as a sou C Level Executive List rce of heat to get through the winter. We lived in a real tent. It was cold, dark and scary. Nothing like what it is now."
Today, Za'atari is not only one of Jordan's largest cities by population, with , inhabitants, but it is also the largest solar-powered Syrian refugee camp in the world . The UN refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates that the MW solar plant saves , metric tons of carbon emissions and $ million in fuel costs annually, compared to using generators diesel.
Residents say better access to electricity has changed their lives, but more is needed to take advantage of remote work and study opportunities. Experts say it could provide a model for expanding renewable energy in Jordan and reducing dependence on imported fossil fuels.
syrian refugees
"Unhabitable conditions"
In the weeks after Abbas and his family settled in the camp, the population of Za'atari skyrocketed, peaking at about , in April in an area of just over square kilometers.
In its early years, the camp struggled with little or no infrastructure, while UNHCR and other international humanitarian aid groups addressed urgent daily needs such as water , food, and health services.
The lack of basic infrastructure, such as electricity, water and waste management, as well as the post-traumatic stress that many refugees were experiencing, led to several clashes, protests and attacks against aid workers.
It is now an established settlement of cabins and caravans in the middle of the desert with shops, restaurants and a small market or two.
As a long-term resident, Abbas has witnessed the change from “unlivable” conditions to a place that allows young Syrian refugees to have some autonomy over the quality of their lives and their future.
“I remember being scared. We had no walls around us, there was no proper electricity, and it got dark very early. I didn’t feel safe,” says Abbas. “Of course, it was nothing like the Syrian war, but it was not a liveable environment either. It got better over the years."
Construction of , solar panels on the Za'atari border began in April , in response to power shortages that the underfunded UNHCR was struggling to address.
“It was becoming impossible to provide electricity to the camp. UNHCR simply could not pay a million-dollar-a-month electricity bill,” says Mohamed Al-Taher, UNHCR external relations officer in Za'atari. To reduce costs, camp officials limited access to electricity to eight hours a day, from p.m. to a.m.
With a power generation capacity of MW, the solar plant is capable of providing to hours of electricity every day to each camp building, street lighting and operational facilities through a local network.
Each household in Za'atari can use approximately kWh per year, compared to , kWh for the average individual living in Jordan outside the camps.
Funding for the $ million project came from the German government, through the KfW Development Bank. Arab Gulf countries are increasingly important donors to UNHCR's work in the region serving Syrian refugees. Recent on-the-ground studies reveal Saudi Arabia's influence within the countryside: aid containers carrying the Kingdom's flag are not an unusual sight.
Syrian refugees in the camp say more reliable access to electricity has opened the doors to a much better quality of life.
“For me, the feeling of security that comes with street lights after dark has been a very important improvement,” says Abbas. “I had so much anxiety before.”
Over the past nine years, Abbas has gotten married, given birth to two children, improved her graphic design skills (which she was already interested in before the war broke out), and was able to earn some income through freelance graphic design work. for small businesses in Jordan and Syria, all while living in Za'atari.