Jordan’s Zaatari Camp Swells with New Refugees from Syria - Save the Children

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In the last 24 hours as many as 10,000 children and their families have fled from Syria into Jordan.

“Many children who are arriving are exhausted, shocked and terrified. Despite the best efforts of aid workers, the camp is reaching a breaking point and this is going to get so much worse in the next few days if numbers continue to rise at such an alarming rate.”

As fighting intensified in southern Syria, almost 20,000 refugees arrived at the border. Nearly 3,500 people made it to Zaatari camp Wednesday night.

Up to four to five buses are arriving in the camp every hour – the majority crammed full of frightened and exhausted people who fled with what little they could carry.

“Many women and children are running for their lives arriving with just the clothes on their backs. Many are unable to pack essential supplies and desperately need our help. It’s freezing, wet and the camp is already overcrowded,” said Saba Al Mobaslat, Save the Children’s Program Director in Zaatari camp.

“Many children who are arriving are exhausted, shocked and terrified. Despite the best efforts of aid workers, the camp is reaching a breaking point and this is going to get so much worse in the next few days if numbers continue to rise at such an alarming rate.”

Temperatures have fallen in the camp. Heavy rains are expected next week, prompting further concerns for the more than 50,000 people already living in the Zaatari camp.

Save the Children, in partnership with UN agencies and Jordanian authorities, is working around the clock to help the refugees providing food, blankets and winter clothes. It is also providing emotional support for children who have suffered or witnessed brutal attacks within Syria.

Save the Children is bringing vital lifesaving help to children in Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq. Across the region, we have already reached nearly 130,000 people.

To donate to Save the Children’s response in Syria please visit: savethechildren.org/syria

Save the Children is the leading independent organization for children in need, with programs in more than 120 countries, including the United States. We aim to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children, and to achieve immediate and lasting change in their lives by improving their health, education and economic opportunities. In times of acute crisis, we mobilize rapid assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.