By IANS/WAM,
Abu Dhabi: A refugee camp funded by the UAE will offer safety and stability to people fleeing the violence in Syria, a daily said.
By September, up to 2,000 pupils will be able to attend lessons at the camp in Mrajeeb Al Fhood, 37 km from the Syrian border.
The UAE Red Crescent Authority’s (RCA) newly opened camp will have two schools and hospitals and gives refugees caravans to live in instead of tents, the Abu Dhabi-based The National daily reported.
“There will be two schools, one for boys and one for girls. It will have first grade to high school. They can take in 2,000 students. If there is a need, they will open two shifts and it will be open to 4,000 students. We can open more schools, if needed,” said RCA chairman Ahmed Al Mazrouei.
“There is landscaping, football fields, there are caravans, not tents. There are kitchens and as a refugee you don’t cook. You can get your meals delivered to your door.”
Phase one of the camp opened at an initial cost of 26 million dirhams. Once finished, it will house up to 25,000 refugees.
The camp was proof of the commitment the UAE made to Syrian refugees at a donors conference for Syria held in Kuwait in January, where the UAE pledged 1.1 billion dirhams in aid, the daily said.
The RCA has so far spent more than 50 million dirhams.
It is estimated that 70,000 Syrians have been killed and more than one million forced to flee to Lebanon, Turkey and Jordan as result of the conflict.