Deheishe Refugee Camp:

The founding of the Israeli state in 1948 followed the expulsion and flight of about 750,000 Paelstinians from the coastal region and the plains of Palestine towards the east, many of them crossing the borders to neighbouring arabic states. The UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) supplied land for these refugees and finally ended their flight. Alltogether, 61 refugee camps were set up. One of them is the Deheishe refugee camp, which was founded in 1949 on an area of roughly 430 dunums (about 1 square kilometre) within the city boundaries of Bethlehem in the West Bank.
The people who gathered in Deheishe originated from more than 45 villages west of Jerusalem and Hebron. Deheishe is one of the refugee camps that were created as a temporary humanitarian solution to the problem of accommodating these expelled Palestinian families. Perched together in tents the refugees suffered under extreme conditions throughout the year. Towards the end of the 50s the UNRWA started to build very simple living units: A single room of 10 square metres, 10 cm thick and 2.45 m high walls, a steel roof and a floor made of rough concrete. The most distinct characteristics of these "buildings" were, that it got bitterly cold during the winter season and unbearably hot during the summers. For these reasons, more and more refugees started to build their own houses so as not to live in the UNRWA-shacks any longer. Yet, the number of difficulties has not decreased since then and today the nearly 12,451 inhabitants living in Dhiesheh with a total no of 2682 families. The number of shelters in Deheishe camp is 2480. The inhabitants of this densly populated camp are facing - like in other refugee camps worldwide - severe everyday problems:

HOUSING

• The refugee camp, today housing more than three times as many people as orginally planned, is absolutely overcrowded.
• A rapid annual population growth between 2 and 5 percent makes the situation worse.

PUBLIC SERVICES

• Parks, playgrounds, libraries, market places do not exist.
• Public buildings are old and cannot be extended due to their site; public administration is desasterous.
• Water- and electricity supply is insuffiecient.
• Sewage water disposal is malfunctioning.

ENVIRONMENT AND HYGIENICS

• There are by far not enough sewage water pipes; leaking sewage water tanks present a great hygenic hazard.
• Trash piles up in the streets because waste disposal is nonexistent.
• A high level of air polution and little air circulation are the main cause for health problems concerning the pneumonial system within the camp.
• Electric cables are most often not safe and laid unsecured along and above the streets.
• Underground water pipes throughout the camp are very old, hence leaking and limited in their original function.

HEALTH

• Medical equipment and medications are missing.
• The fees for medical treatment rise while less costs are being taken over by the UNRWA.
• One specialist for women, babies, heart- and stomach diseases is responsible for 150,000 refugees.

EDUCATION

• The schools are porely equiped and too small. As a result, lessons are held in two shifts per day (morning and afternoon).
• The classrooms are overcrowded (more than 50 pupils per class), making efficient teaching impossible.

ECONOMY

• More than 50% of the Palestinian population is unemployed.
• Three quarters of the Palestinians living in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and in refugee camps in the Lebanon are living beneath the poverty line (less than 2 US$ per person/day).
• Argriculture (e.g. olive oil, wine) can - just as trade and transport in general - only be carried out very limited even within the occupied territories due to harsh restrictions on mobility like checkpoints, curfews and the wall in West Bank.
• The tourism sector, once an important pillar of the Palestinian economy, has completely collapsed.