The Kilis Turkey refugee camp as described in a recent New York Times article seems idyllic, as far as refugee camps go. It is like a small city with paved roads, power lines, grocery stores, playgrounds, internet, schools, and more. With over 2,000 identical containers, and one of 6 “container camps”, this camp of 14,000 residents is only a small part of the larger effort supporting over 600,000 refugees from Syria. Many have stated that this is the nicest refugee camp in the world.
The NYT article brings up an interesting question about this camp by saying “… if a camp becomes a shelter not just for a few months but for years, a substitute — even a deterrent — to a real solution, how much does it matter how nice it is?” In general, refugees spend over 12 years in camps like these. While physically, all needs are met, it becomes emotionally taxing for refugees to remain in an area for a long period of time without moving on with life and their livelihoods.
Click below for a link to the article and others related to these camps.
