- Title: JORDAN: Syrian artists adorn refugee camp with murals
- Date: 23rd April 2014
- Summary: FULL SCRIPT NOW FOLLOWS ZARQA, JORDAN (APRIL 20, 2014) (REUTERS) EMIRATI-JORDANIAN CAMP IN MREJIB AL FHOOD CARS AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE CAMP VARIOUS OF TRAILERS WITH PAINTED SIDES IN THE EMIRATI-JORDANIAN CAMP PAINTING ON ONE OF THE TRAILERS VARIOUS OF THE SYRIAN ARTISTS WORKING ON THEIR LATEST MURAL (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) ABU AMMAR, SYRIAN REFUGEE FROM DAMASCUS PROVINCE, S
- Embargoed: 8th May 2014 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Jordan
- Country: Jordan
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA12HT0KKH4XV3BLT2L1YAO1AX9
- Story Text: As the Syrian civil war enters its third year, refugees forced to leave their homes during the crisis are facing the uncertainty of returning home.
Four Syrian artists living in the United Arab Emirates-funded camp in Jordan have found solace in painting murals on the sides of their trailers, saying that this hobby has helped make the long idle hours in the camp tolerable.
The camp, located in Mrejib Al Fhood, 80 kilometres east of Amman, is spread across 60 acres - around 24 hectares - of land and is home to more than 4000 Syrian refugees. It is run solely from funding from the UAE through its Red Crescent Society.
"For this project, we spoke to the camp director almost three months ago asking to draw and paint large murals, that's how the idea started. They provided us with all the basic tools, and we started painting. This allowed us to spend our time on something that can develop our talents," said Abu Ammar, one of the artists decorating the trailers.
Abu Ammar, who fled rural Damascus over a year ago, says not only does the project serve to beautify the camp, but it also helps them develop their artistic skills.
"We are a team of four people who have talent, most of us already know how to paint. So we wanted to do this in order to develop our skills, and spend our time doing something productive, this is the least we can do," he said.
"Of course this helps us, when we got this idea and managed to get the tools we need, we started working on something that lifted our spirits. We now dedicate our time to a project that is beneficial," added Abu Ammar.
The camp currently houses 770 trailers providing shelter to the refugees.
It also houses separate boys and girls schools, a mosque, outdoor and indoor markets and integrated health units.
Jordan is one of Syria's four immediate neighbours, and along with Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq, has been inundated with refugees fleeing the civil war.
The country hosts close to 600,000 Syrian refugees.
A large number of those who seek refuge in Jordan are transported to the Zaatari camp, which is home to around 130,000 Syrian refugees and is located about 12 km (eight miles) from the Syrian border.
Many other refugees have settled in local communities.
The United Nations (UN) has recently launched its biggest appeal ever, calling for 6.5 billion US dollars in aid for Syria and the region.
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