The Sahrawi Refugees

8th Grade-Service Learning-
Sahrawi people became refugees because of a long running war with Morocco. They were exiled from their homeland .They have spent the last 30 years living in refugee camps .There are about 95,000 refugees living in south west Algeria .They have been denied basic rights for over 30 years and arent allowed to leave the camp . There are currently only 2 tribes that are being held in the camps they are being treated more like hostages than refugees. There children are sent to Cuba for a safe place to live. If the children stay they are beaten and have to watch there parents go through physical punishment. Where they live there is a military zone, but no military personnel .

All of these Sahrawi men, women, and children fled their homes in the 1970s because of the conflict with the Moroccan military and the Polisario Front. These Sahrawi people remain trapped in refugee camps to this day. They are trapped in a part of the Sahara known as The Devils Garden. The Moroccan military and the Polisario Front have been fighting over the Western Sahara. There are four major refugee camps: El Aaiun, Awserd, Smara, and Dakhla. The two parties have failed to settle their dispute and give these innocent refugees a fair chance at life .their basic human rights havent even been protected .There has been evidence of imprisonment of women for adultery, slavery and restricted freedom of movement.

There are four refugee groups where refugees are located. In all groups combined there are 165,000 refugees. There are between 30,000 and 40,000 in each one of the four groups. More than half of the Sahrawi population are refugees. The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioners Refugees) provides for 90,000 of Sahrawi refugees. They are provided with an education in the camps 90% of refugees can read and write only a small10% of the refugees are unable to read and write. There are still between 15,000 and 50,000sahrawi refugees that are not in camps.
The problems they currently face in their host country are abuse. They are treated very poorly more like prisoners then refugees. They arent really being helped in these camps. The problems they face at home are disease and, many health problems. These refugees feel that they are inactive victims of war. The problems they face internationally are starvation. Many diseases are caused from underfeeding. Of these diseases are diabetes and anemia. This refugees depend on the international food aid for there survival. Every one in five children are suffering from lack of nutrition. The Polisario has attempted to modernize the camps society placing emphases especially on education, the ending of tribalism and the emancipation of women. Sahrawi refugees have little or no vegetation, and firewood has to be gathered by car tens of kilometers away. Only a few of the camps have access to water, and the drinking sources are neither clean nor sufficient for the entire refugee population. Basic life cannot be sustained in this environment, and the camps are completely dependent on foreign aid. A car brings in food, drinking water and materials for tents and clothing by international aid agencies. Some of the agencies are UNHCR, ECHO, and WFP, and the Algerian Red Crescent. 40% of the children suffer from lack of iron, and 10%of the children below five years of age suffer from acute lack of nutrition. 32% are suffering from chronic lack of nutrition.47% of the women suffer from lack of iron.




By:
Joseph Coufal
Jeannie Doan
Perri Otto
Brendaitsel Martinez
Valentina Lopera
Brayan Almeida

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Sahrawi
• Final