Iqra Camp

Iqra Camp aims to break the culture of dependency and passivity which often becomes ingrained in the lives of those displaced people forced to find shelter in typical refugee camps. Most camps are designed to serve only the single function of providing a source of immediate shelter for families displaced due to conflict, crisis or natural disasters.

Most camps lack the physical, fiscal, psychological or philosophical framework and support systems to provide more than lodging and a source of aid, primarily in the form of staple foods and meagre financial assistance. Education, whether schools for children or vocational or secondary programmes for adults are usually absent as are initiatives intended to deal with the often depressing and discouraging circumstance associated with displacement and life in over crowded camps.

Iqra Camp is a different type of refugee camp which places emphasis on empowering its residents while providing shelter. Applicants are admitted based upon their skills, education and vocational experience and given assistance in transitioning into a more healthy, productive, pro-active lifestyle than is often possible in typical camps.

Part of this process is providing a secure stable environment afforded by the residential compound. In stark contrast to many camps that, due to necessity or lack of resources, are often comprised of claustrophobic patchwork of tents, with poor sewage, hygiene and facilities. Iqra Camp consists of apartment blocks with each resident having their own flat, kitchen, and lavatory as well as maintenance support. The compound also contains a small masjid for religious education and communal worship, a solar water well and a modest school.

Water, electricity and bread and food distribution are also a part of the camp amenities meant to help ease the burden of our residents as they adjust to their new lives and transition into the workforce. Our residents are required to contribute their skills to the camp, whether in maintenance, teaching, grounds keeping, security or other services which helps to foster a sense of community and shared responsibility while keeping them active.

They are also offered occupation and vocational training intended to help reintroduce them to the local work force and assistance from the camp management is incrementally phased out as they become more self sufficient. The goal is to produce civil minded and able bodied members of a community who are not dependent upon others for their sustenance and are able to contribute to rebuilding society.