Refugee camps are temporary facilities built to provide immediate

assistance and protection to people who have been forced to leave their
homes due to violence, conflict or persecution.
These camps are designed as a short-term solution to keep people
safe during specific emergencies, which can turn into long lasting
emergencies, resulting in people living in camps for years or even
decades. We call this a protracted refugee situation.

Before going further, you might be wondering “okay, but how does
this process of building a refugee camp happens?”

Within the first 72 hours after a new emergency, the United

Nations Refugee Agency sends response teams to assess the situation
and create with local authorities a “safe humanitarian space” that
guarantees the safety of the people being forced to flee.

In this place, food, water access points and latrines should be

properly lit and near shelters in order to protect women and girls
against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV). Facilities should offer
refugees the possibility to access the local economy and its services.

How many refugees live in refugee camps?

The vast majority of refugees (approximately 78 percent) live in cities
and the other 22 percent live in refugee camps – 6.6 million people.
From this 22% 4.5 million reside in planned and managed camps and
about 2 million are sheltered in self-settled camps.
Now, statistics say that before the conflicts between Ukraine and Russia,
and Palestine and Israel started, more than 27 million people were
seeking refuge. Imagine now. Besides this, by 2050, the number of
refugees is expected to quadruple.

Life in camps
Life as a refugee often includes:
Overcrowding - Refugee camps are often overcrowded and house
thousands of people in close quarters. This can be dangerous as it makes
the spread of disease easier. On average, one out of three refugees suffers
from mental health challenges such as post-traumatic stress disorder,
depression and anxiety.

Sanitation and Hygiene - Refugee camps also suffer from sanitation and
hygiene issues, due to a lack of clean water and cleaning supplies. Because
of this, illnesses and diseases can easily be spread through the entire
population.

Lack of Clean Water – And hss mentioned above, one of the primary
issues in refugee camps is the lack of clean water.

Food Safety - Similarly, the nature of refugee camps is not conducive to

cooking and storing food.

Fires - Without reliable power sources, many in refugee camps turn to

fires as a source of heat for cooking and for warming themselves.
However, fires can be incredibly dangerous, especially with the
overcrowding found in many refugee camps

Violence - With little security or armed forces accessing the situation,

many refugee camps can also be a breeding ground for violence. This can
occur for many different reasons, like competition for food, water, shelter,
and more. Sexual violence in refugee camps is a major concern,
particularly for women and girls. A 2017 UNICEF study of the Central
Mediterranean refugee crisis highlights that “nearly half of women
reported sexual violence and abuse throughout their journeys.”

Limited Medical Care

Where is the world’s largest refugee camp located?

The Kutupalong refugee settlement, located in the Cox’s Bazar region of

Bangladesh, is currently the world’s largest refugee camp. This
settlement includes 26 camps that host more than 800000 people, half
of them being children.

How to help people living in refugee camps?

Becoming a monthly donor is the best way to help families in refugee

camps have access to immediate aid, including critical supplies and
programs to help them rebuild their lives.