Last week, the doctors and midwives of Azraq camp delivered a healthy baby girl named Hala. Every birth in this Jordanian camp is special, representing new life and hope for the Syrians who escaped the conflict in their home country. But Hala’s birth was a particularly special milestone: she was the 10,000th baby born in the camp hospital.
Hala’s mother, Kafiah Khalid, is among the 42,000 refugees who fled the Syrian civil war for Jordan and now reside in Azraq camp indefinitely. Originally from Raqqa, which fell under the control of the Islamic State in 2014, Kafiah’s whole life was uprooted by the conflict. However, despite the challenges and uncertainty of life in a refugee camp, she has always felt welcomed by the healthcare team. “I have lived in the camp since 2015, and over the years, I have had all of my five children at International Medical Corps’ hospital—I am very happy with its services,” Kafiah says.
Azraq refugee camp has certainly changed a lot in the past decade. When it first opened in 2014, its facilities were limited. There was no electricity. The healthcare, water and sanitation amenities were basic, with sometimes up to 100 people sharing a toilet. Moreover, the camp had no maternity facilities—if a woman in the camp was pregnant, she had to be driven across the desert, alone in an unfamiliar country, to give birth.
Over the past 10 years, International Medical Corps has worked tirelessly to help the camp’s community live happier and healthier lives. In 2015, we took over management of the camp’s only hospital and have run it ever since. We built new facilities, including a paediatric ward, a maternity ward and a lab with advanced diagnostic facilities. We trained staff and volunteers to work in the hospital. And, to provide holistic care to the community, we began to run extensive mental health and psychosocial support, nutrition, child protection and gender-based violence prevention and response programmes throughout the camp.
As one of the key international agencies working in the camp, International Medical Corps’ programmes have made a huge difference for thousands of families. The safe delivery of 10,000 babies—including scheduled and lifesaving emergency C-sections—was cause for celebration for the team working in Jordan.
“Reaching this milestone has taken far more than 10,000 hours of work,” says Ahmad Bawaneh, International Medical Corps Country Director in Jordan. “It’s a testament to the dedication of everyone on the team—from the doctors and midwives, to the cleaners and the volunteers who keep the hospital running. Seeing the difference we’ve made in Azraq camp makes me so proud to be part of International Medical Corps.”
Thanks to the dedication of our staff, volunteers and donors, we’ve brought healthcare and hope to the people who most need it. But none of our work would be possible without people like you. Help us continue supporting families in refugee camps—and those experiencing conflict, disasters and disease around the world—by donating to International Medical Corps today.
