Photo Credit: Refugees International
11/07/2006

Garbage cans in the camp overflow within one day of being emptied. Red water containers line the camp. They provide water for every need – drinking, bathing, cleaning, cooking, and washing clothes. While water supplies have improved, many residents of the camp complained of shortages until recently. Worse, water supplies in the past have been suspected of contamination – a majority of the residents have suffered from diarrhea and other water borne diseases.

Medical attention in the camp is almost completely limited to first aid emergency care and the distribution of some medication by UNRWA. While UNRWA has offered to integrate the Al-Tanf community into the larger Palestinian population in Syria, the Syrian government has refused out of fear that doing so would create a “pull factor” for other Palestinians in Iraq.