World Health Day in Shariya Camp

Springs of Hope
Jun 23
5 min read

We have spent a decade working with the survivors of ISIS (just on Tuesday, two young men were released after ten years and eight months, one was Daoud’s cousin) and those displaced, losing all but not being taken into captivity. To be a refugee is a geopolitical status, it is in no way an indication of intelligence or aptitude. It is a situation which should have been temporary and resolvable but has continued into its second decade.

We have stood witness to the hunger in our students to learn. It has been harder for our teens who were taken captive, something in their focus has been damaged, but the younger kids are go-getters as are those who are displaced. They realise that their only way ahead, the only way out of the camps is through knowledge, and being the best.

And whilst mentioning the camps, many who were "enticed" back to Shingal with the promise of a financial government gift upon relinquishment of the camp status, and registering in Shingal, did not receive a cent. Some have returned to Shariya, now to rent small houses saying that due to lack of work and security it is impossible to live there.

The tent dwellers and those who now live in the village realise that two things will guarantee their future, business acumen, and education. The youth are looking for a different way from their parents, realising how many of the community are sick and diseased. Whilst they can not shake off traditions, they desire a different lifestyle and are placing a significant emphasis on healthy living both through diet and exercise.

Ayhan, Director of the Hope Centre

“To this end, we marked World Health Day between the tents of Shariya Camp. We feel that this is not just important, but essential.

Refugee life after a decade has become a routine, where people become accustomed to sickness, disease, garbage, wild dogs, and anything that comes their way, and forget the basics of health and well being. With each passing year, life becomes harder, and in a sense more prolonged with the second generation children now being born, kids who know nothing else.

We believe that it is more critical now than ever to educate the community both old and young, about health, nutrition, disease prevention, sleep hygiene, and taking care of their bodies.

Year after year we see outbreaks of new diseases, and are witnesses to the rapidity of the transfer and spreading of flu, cholera, scabies etc. The burning of clothes in order to cleanse is a common sight, even amongst those who have nothing else to wear. The focus is on how to stop a disease spreading, not “what will I do after?”

At Springs of Hope Foundation we conduct weekly health awareness sessions but this day, World Health Day was the perfect opportunity to strike up conversations, show simple graphics, and to remind them that as the world celebrates health and wellness, that they too deserve a healthy lifestyle, no matter of their status or situation."

Ayhan. Director of the Hope Centre.

Avya

“I accompany Nurse Salah on a weekly basis, when he conducts his medical check ups in the tent community both inside and outside the camp. We take every opportunity to educate and often repeat ourselves as even after a decade of camp life, people are still in survival mode, for example many refuse to sleep at night for fear of fire. Some will not leave their tent to take a short walk for the same reason. Often our work goes into the very practical, showing how to disconnect an electric plug at night, or in order to leave the tent.

We constantly encounter bored children playing in the garbage, playing and looking for any scrap that can be eaten or recycled. It’s easy to educate the children, graphics play a huge part, sending them to the wash rooms to clean their hands, very basic baby steps, but steps that have to be repeated continually, as when they have nothing to do, and nowhere to go, they revert to that which appears fun to them but is a major health hazard.

As we walk around the camp, we are in continual shock at the level of survival and ongoing trauma, which inevitably affects physical health and compromises the immune system. Parents have one focus, to put some rice or bread on the table, monitoring their childrens’ welfare is not their highest priority which is why we target the children and the youth or the community elders who are more receptive, as they desire a better lifestyle for their generations, and remember life prior to 2014."

Avya.

Bashiq, English Teacher

"I was part of the SOHF team that went into the camp on World Health Day. It was entering a danger zone with garbage scattered everywhere. The camp stinks and is heavily polluted. If it is not cleaned, the garbage collected and removed a new pandemic will break out claiming many lives.

A great part of our mission on this particular day was to teach the camp residents about the dangers of living close to the garbage and how pollution affects their health. As a result of our visit we decided that whilst we can not take on the role of garbage collectors we can weekly remind parents to dispose of garbage with thought and care. We are working to create a program with fun activities to raise awareness amongst the children and to help them to take ownership of their environment.

I left the camp highly concerned for the upcoming generations born surrounded by sewage and garbage."

Bashiq. English teacher.

Nurse Salah

"As health and fitness awareness increases in the affluent world, it decreases in our region which is one under constant pressure, each month bringing its own challenges which test survival in the camp surroundings.

I speak as a Nurse when I say that we face a great responsibility, one that is both humanitarian and moral before it is professional . The residents of the camp need us now more than ever. They need someone to guide them, support them, be there for them and gently aid them to change old structures and ways, and to build a more healthy life.

Ten years on, needs are growing, the number of chronically sick is increasing, and diseases do not wait. It is our duty to increase our efforts inside the camp, to increase our weekly presence, reaching more people with each visit.

We go into the camp carrying our tools, our notes, and our dedication. We walk through the narrow alleys, searching for those in need. We write down instructions, distribute health advice and speak simply so that whether young or old, all can understand as we believe that a single piece of advice can save a life.

Even though we often feel sad, and leave with heavy hearts, being overwhelmed by the enormity of the need and our restricted limitations, we commit to continue. We will keep going because our mission is deeply human. We will remain the voice of hope, even if it is just one person at a time.

Health is not a luxury, it is a basic human right. It is our duty to protect this right, to nurture it and to spread it to everyone around us.

Thank you to everyone who supports us. Thank you to everyone who sees us and who listens to us. We will continue to be the voice and light of hope. Hope never fades."

Nurse Salah