WORLD OF CAMPS
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  • Niyukuri
Niyukuri
Burundi refugee, age 18

Us mothers want the best for our children, but at the camp, it’s so hard to feed them properly. We don’t have enough food – it’s so hard to feed a whole family on the amount we receive and although we try to ration it we always run out so quickly. There’s never enough to make proper meals for everyone. The foodstuffs are also very basic and poor quality so it’s impossible to give our kids everything they need in order to grow. The conditions here are also dirty – it’s dusty all the time and we don’t have enough soap and water to wash and clean things with, and that’s why our babies always get sick.
I see my nephew suffering from lack of food and feel worried for him, but I am also scared for my baby, because I know he has exactly the same future ahead of him. When my family and I used to think of the future, we never imagined it would be like this, I never dreamt I would live in a refugee camp let alone raise my baby in one. I am only young and there are so many things I still want to do. I try to stay happy and smiling but the future looks dark for me now. (January 9, 2017)

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65,6 million people had to flee in 2017

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Welcome to the World of Camps website. This website was created to raise awareness about people’s living conditions in refugee camps. The website looks like a travel site but it is not a real booking site. The information comes from Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) platforms and publications, as well as MSF staff and MSF patients living and working in refugee camps.

   FAQ for WORLD OF CAMPS

1. Why have you chosen to present refugee camps in a travel website format?  

1. Why have you chosen to present refugee camps in a travel website format? 

Many of us use travel websites to find the best options for our holidays and discover practical information about the places we plan to visit. This website uses a travel website format - a format often utilized by many consumers as a luxury of choice - as an opportunity to find out about places we are less likely to visit: the refugee camps which host people who have no other options or alternatives. Our aim is to raise awareness about the lives of refugees, noting their reasons for being forced to flee or migrate from their home countries and noting how many of them are being forced to stay in deplorable conditions because of a range of barriers.

2. Do you want me to visit the refugee camps? 

2. Do you want me to visit the refugee camps?

No. The aim is not for you to visit the camps in person, but to understand the challenges faced by people living and working in them.

3. Why does Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) take care of refugees and why has it created this website? 

3. Why does Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) take care of refugees and why has it created this website?

Médecins Sans Frontières provides assistance for people in distress and for the victims of conflict, disease outbreaks and natural and manmade disasters. As a medical humanitarian organization, many of our projects are located in refugee or internal displaced camps across the globe. We try to provide the people with everything they need from psychological care to lifesaving nutrition, including setting up hospitals in refugee camps, helping women give birth safely, vaccinating children to prevent epidemics, and providing access to safe drinking water. We also work to raise awareness and encourage debate about humanitarian crises. One of our core principles is to speak out about the plight of the people we help. We created this website to raise awareness about the issues facing refugees.

4. Does this website provide a service to people who are seeking refuge? 

4. Does this website provide a service to people who are seeking refuge?

People running away from danger very often do not have the choice or resources to decide where they will go, and therefore they flee to the nearest and safest place. Some people cannot even move freely. The aim of this website is to simply show the complexity and conditions a refugee’s life in camps: their living conditions, the decisions people take before they flee, and other matters related to living and surviving in a camp.

5. Where did you get the information for this website? 

5. Where did you get the information for this website?

The information on the website came from MSF staff and MSF patients in each of the selected refugee camps, as well as information shared by MSF.

6. Why did you select these particular camps? 

6. Why did you select these particular camps?

We chose these particularly camps in different countries to highlight the similarities and differences between refugees’ experiences across continents. Each camp has a unique character and context. Shatila, in Lebanon, was established in 1949, making it one of the world’s longest-established refugee camps. Dadaab, in Kenya, is one of the biggest camps in the world akin to a complex of refugee camps; Domiz, in Iraq, is one of the newest, constantly evolving; Nduta, in Tanzania, is one of the least known, away from the media spotlight. Finally, the settlements on the refugee trail through Greece and Serbia show the contemporary face of refugee camps in 21st century Europe.

7. Why should I care? 

7. Why should I care?

Millions of people across the world have been forced to leave their homes due to wars, political unrest, natural disasters or extreme poverty. Like everyone else, they have dreams, ambitions, concerns, needs and desires. Anyone can be a refugee regardless of their background. At MSF, we believe that every person deserves dignity, medical care and the recognition of their humanity, and we hope that you believe it too.

8. I want to help – what can I do? 

8. I want to help – what can I do?

MSF teams are providing care for refugees all around the world and you can help by supporting our work. There are lots of ways you can support us: by volunteering to join our teams, by donating money to MSF, by raising awareness about the issues facing refugees, or by discussing the topic with friends and family. You can also support other humanitarian organisations which deliver aid to refugees. If you like this website, please share it on social media. You can also follow MSF on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram etc. Every type of support counts. Many refugees live in difficult conditions, frequently without sufficient food, water, shelter or medical care. Our MSF teams working in refugee camps around the world provide these essentials. For that aid to continue, we rely on support and funding from the public. Please consider clicking on the donation button and giving what you can to support our work or view links to other MSF websites about the topic.

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