The Evolution and Sustainability of Environmental Health Services in the Azraq Refugee Camp, Jordan: A Qualitative Study

Author:

Behnke Nikki12,Shackelford Brandie Banner13ORCID,Dawood Amjad4,Oommen Rachel A.15,Tu Raymond16ORCID,Snel Marielle7,Al Samawi Iyad4,Talozi Samer8,Anderson Darcy1ORCID,Cronk Ryan1ORCID,Bartram Jamie19ORCID

Affiliation:

1. The Water Institute, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA

2. Center for Water Security, Sanitation, and Hygiene, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington, DC 20523, USA

3. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Lilongwe P.O. Box 30230, Malawi

4. World Vision, Amman 11547, Jordan

5. Department of City and Regional Planning, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27516, USA

6. Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 3K7, Canada

7. Save the Children International, Amman 11191, Jordan

8. Civil Engineering Department, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid 3030, Jordan

9. School of Civil Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK

Abstract

The Syrian civil war displaced more than half of the Syrian population, including over 660,000 registered refugees who fled to neighboring Jordan. Environmental health services (e.g., water, sanitation, hygiene, and solid waste management) are critical for refugee health. Still, they may strain resources in host communities and must evolve in protracted crises. We studied environmental health services in the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan to identify the stakeholders and their roles in service provision, assess stakeholder communication and coordination, and evaluate sustainability. We conducted 25 interviews with stakeholders involved in environmental health service provision. We found that non-governmental and United Nations organizations had well-defined responsibilities, but the roles of donors, the Jordanian government, refugees, and the host community needed clarification. Conflicting standards and mismatched donor expectations with on-the-ground needs sometimes created challenges for coordinated and efficient service provision. The basic needs of refugees were generally met and services improved somewhat over time, but political obstacles and inadequate resources complicated the path toward sustainable services. Early incorporation of sustainability in planning and increased efforts to build the capacity of refugees to contribute and take ownership of environmental health services will likely enhance long-term environmental health service provision and development outcomes.

Funder

World Vision International

Sut and Fay Ahuja Fellowship

UNC Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, the UNC Department of Public Policy, the UNC Environment, Ecology, and Energy Program, and the UNC Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Publisher

MDPI AG

Reference60 articles.

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2. The Environmental Aspects of Refugee Crises: Insights from South Asia, Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa;Dutta;J. Int. Migr. Integr.,2023

3. Jägerskog, A., and Swain, A. (2016). Water, Migration and How They Are Interlinked, Stockholm International Water Institute.

4. Jobbins, G., Langdown, I., and Bernard, G. (2018). Water and Sanitation, Migration and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

5. Türk, V., Corliss, S., Riera, J., Lippman, B., Hansen, E., Egziabher, A.G., Franck, M., Dekrout, A., and Kuroiwa, Y. (2015). The Environment & Climate Change, UNHCR.

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