In order to support humanitarian planning and meet information gaps, the REACH team conducted a baseline assessment in Al Za’atari Camp between December 22nd 2013 and January 1st 2014 focusing on the core United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) sectors of disability, education, health and nutrition, and child protection. With the demographic trends of Al Za’atari refugee camp varying periodically, humanitarian actors are constantly challenged to plan, implement and deliver often life-saving public services across the health, education and protection sectors. In response to pervasive information gaps, REACH, with the support of UNICEF, conducted a 10 day camp census in Al Za’atari Camp to provide humanitarian actors with the necessary information on Syrian refugees at household level. The overarching purpose of this household level census and report is to provide a baseline dataset and facilitate more efficient and targeted delivery of services to those living in the camp according to identified household needs and vulnerabilities across the above named sectors.

Priorities

The fact that children make up over half of the Al Za'atari Camp population must be considered in programming. Children may have specific needs in every sector that must be taken into account by all actors, rather than merely being the focus of organizations specialized in working with children. There are many children with disabilities across the camp, and their needs must be incorporated by all agencies when designing programming. Access to services was reported to be lacking for these children. Agencies should therefore focus on inclusion of children with disabilities into service delivery and also on development of specific support. A high percentage of respondents reported that children living in their household had not receive polio and/or measles vaccinations. This may be due to respondents being confused about which vaccinations that children living in their household have received, however further research is needed to ensure that vaccination campaigns are reaching those at risk. A planned follow-up assessment will be conducted in March 2014 to address this issue. Breastfeeding rates in Al Za'atari appear to be low, however this assessment did not focus on the most important age group of 0-6 months, when WHO recommends exclusively breastfeeding children. A follow up collaborative assessment between UNICEF and REACH in March 2014 will explore this specific age group further in order to draw more precise conclusions. Interpersonal violence is widely reported throughout the camp. The willingness of respondents to report incidents of interpersonal violence within the household may indicate that this is to some extent socially accepted. Community education on alternative ways to resolve conflict or discipline children could be beneficial, especially given that many children may have experienced violence in Syria, which could make them more susceptible to negative effects when experiencing violence at home. Early marriage is occurring in the camp setting, though this occurrence requires further research, such as the forthcoming publication by UNICEF. Community messaging on early marriage should be continued focusing on the awareness of Jordanian law and registration requirements, the benefits of delaying marriage and the benefits of delaying pregnancy in case of early marriage, as well as case management. Partners in the child protection sub working group are already working towards these goals.

Needs

The fact that children make up over half of the Al Za'atari Camp population must be considered in programming. Children may have specific needs in every sector that must be taken into account by all actors, rather than merely being the focus of organizations specialized in working with children. There are many children with disabilities across the camp, and their needs must be incorporated by all agencies when designing programming. Access to services was reported to be lacking for these children. Agencies should therefore focus on inclusion of children with disabilities into service delivery and also on development of specific support. A high percentage of respondents reported that children living in their household had not receive polio and/or measles vaccinations. This may be due to respondents being confused about which vaccinations that children living in their household have received, however further research is needed to ensure that vaccination campaigns are reaching those at risk. A planned follow-up assessment will be conducted in March 2014 to address this issue. Breastfeeding rates in Al Za'atari appear to be low, however this assessment did not focus on the most important age group of 0-6 months, when WHO recommends exclusively breastfeeding children. A follow up collaborative assessment between UNICEF and REACH in March 2014 will explore this specific age group further in order to draw more precise conclusions. Interpersonal violence is widely reported throughout the camp. The willingness of respondents to report incidents of interpersonal violence within the household may indicate that this is to some extent socially accepted. Community education on alternative ways to resolve conflict or discipline children could be beneficial, especially given that many children may have experienced violence in Syria, which could make them more susceptible to negative effects when experiencing violence at home. Early marriage is occurring in the camp setting, though this occurrence requires further research, such as the forthcoming publication by UNICEF. Community messaging on early marriage should be continued focusing on the awareness of Jordanian law and registration requirements, the benefits of delaying marriage and the benefits of delaying pregnancy in case of early marriage, as well as case management. Partners in the child protection sub working group are already working towards these goals.

Main Findings

Almost a quarter (23.8%) of children aged 0-17, were reported to have never received measles and/or polio vaccinations. Only 60% of school age children in Al Za’atari Camp were said to be attending school full time. The most commonly reported reason for non-attendance was that that the child had household responsibilities, cited by 16% of households where children were not attending school. Other reasons included that children had never attended school prior to arriving in Jordan (15.6% of households), followed by general reluctance by parents towards schooling (13.1%) and the distance to school (11.4%). Included in the report is a map showing distance to school in various areas in the camp, highlighting where new travel options or school facilities are needed. A quarter (25%) of children were reported to have missed more than one year of education, and 5% were said to have missed three or more years, thus making them ineligible for formal schooling in Al Za’atari Camp.Heads of households were asked to report on the numbers of unaccompanied and separated children which was reported to be less than 1%. However this methodology is limited in capturing accurate figures on UASCs and the actual figures from partners are much higher and are being closely monitored. Households reported that 16% of children in Al Za’atari Camp face verbal or physical violence at home. This assessment found head of households reported 125 girls under the age of 15 to be married at the time of the assessment.