Yarmouk Camp | Action Group
Amid growing calls to organize Yarmouk Camp reconstruction efforts, Palestinian engineer Mohammed Mustafa Salman has proposed an initiative to establish a “Yarmouk Camp Fund,” with the aim of transitioning to a systematic, organized, and fully transparently funded effort. The initiative aims to provide a clear and publicly announced framework for receiving donations and directing them toward the camp’s rehabilitation.
*Fund’s working mechanism*
Dr. Salman proposes that the fund open an official and publicly disclosed bank account in a Syrian bank, overseen by a supervisory department composed of at least three impartial individuals who will serve as “disbursing officers.” He also proposes that the fund have an independent headquarters in the Halwa Zidan building, comprising five main departments:
Administration and Supervision Department: Responsible for the daily monitoring of the fund’s operations, and includes disbursing officers, the cashier and the accountant.
Finance Department: The cashier and accountant are responsible for all financial transactions, including imports and exports, and for documenting daily financial activity.
Media Department: Responsible for launching a public Facebook page to post all financial and service activities on a daily basis to ensure transparency.
Studies and Services Department: Comprising a group of engineers and experienced individuals from the camp, it is responsible for developing strategic and daily plans to meet urgent needs across the camp without discrimination.
Complaints and Follow-up Department: Receives residents’ complaints and suggestions, monitors the progress of implementation work around the clock, and documents complaints and achievements on a daily basis.
*Proposed financial resources*
According to the initiative, there are multiple financial sources that could feed the fund: The Yarmouk Camp Fund in Ramallah: It is proposed that the remaining amount of the fund established in 2016, estimated at $1 million out of a total of $7 million, be transferred. Dr. Salman notes that $6 million has been disbursed, including $3 million for Yarmouk Camp (2 million for previous cleanup campaigns and $1 million in in-kind assistance) and $3 million for the reconstruction of Nahr al-Bared Camp.
Business Donations: Palestinian businessmen, both inside and outside Palestine, are expected to contribute to the fund.
Charitable organizations and international institutions: The fund can receive financial support from charities and international institutions working in the humanitarian field.
This initiative calls for unified financial and administrative efforts to ensure that donations are used with the greatest degree of transparency and effectiveness, serving the reconstruction of Yarmouk Camp and paving the way for the return of thousands of displaced residents.