Refugees in Zaatari Develop Their Own Businesses

Zataari in Jordan, the world’s fastest growing refugee camp , home to 80,000 people, was supposed to provide temporary housing when the government and United Nations opened it in 2012. But since residents have not been able to leave, they have started their own businesses. The UN estimates that there are 3,000 businesses inside the Zaatari camp in Jordan, generating $13m per month.

Eighty thousand people used to live in tents and now live in shelters made from corrugated metal containers called caravans. Refugees thought they would be in the camp for a week, maybe a month. No one imagined that stay would turn into seven years and still counting. Even though for many, home is less than ten miles away, refugees have had to recreate their lives there opening up small businesses, just like they did back home.

Some businesses even export their products outside the camp. And the most positive side is that these refugees are not giving up, despite their difficult conditions.

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