A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to shelter people who have been forced to flee their homes due to conflict, persecution, or disaster. Managed by the United Nations, host governments, or humanitarian organizations, these camps provide basic services — food, water, shelter, and medical care — to people who have no safe place to return to. What was designed as temporary shelter often becomes home for years, sometimes decades.
How Refugee Camps Work
Refugee camps are typically established when large numbers of people cross an international border in a short period. The UNHCR often coordinates the setup, though the host country’s government ultimately controls the land and access.
A typical camp provides:
- Shelter — Tents, prefabricated structures, or semi-permanent buildings depending on the camp’s age and resources
- Food distribution — Regular rations coordinated by the World Food Programme (WFP), usually consisting of basic staples like grain, oil, and legumes
- Water and sanitation — Shared water points and communal latrines, often insufficient for the population
- Healthcare — Basic clinics staffed by humanitarian organizations; specialized care is limited
- Education — Schools run by NGOs, though access and quality vary widely
- Security — Provided by the host government and UN agencies, though protection gaps are common
Camps are not designed for permanent living, but many become semi-permanent cities. Dadaab in Kenya was established in 1991 and at its peak housed over 400,000 people. Kakuma, also in Kenya, has been operating since 1992. Za’atari in Jordan, home to Syrian refugees, became the country’s fourth-largest city within a few years of opening.
Life Inside a Refugee Camp
Life in a refugee camp is defined by waiting. Residents wait for food distributions, wait for medical appointments, wait for news about resettlement or repatriation, and wait for the conflict back home to end. The average length of displacement for refugees is more than 20 years.
Daily challenges include:
- Overcrowding — Many camps operate far beyond their intended capacity, straining every resource
- Limited mobility — In some countries, refugees are not allowed to leave the camp or work legally outside it
- Food insecurity — Rations are often cut when funding decreases, leaving families with barely enough calories to survive
- Mental health strain — Trauma from displacement, combined with the monotony and uncertainty of camp life, takes a severe psychological toll
- Gender-based violence — Women and girls face heightened risks of assault, exploitation, and forced marriage
- Education gaps — Only about half of refugee children attend primary school; the number drops sharply for secondary education
Despite these conditions, refugees in camps build communities. They start small businesses, teach classes, organize cultural events, and support each other. Resilience is not a cliche — it is a survival requirement.
Notable Refugee Camps Around the World
Several camps have become well-known due to their size, duration, or the crises they respond to:
- Kakuma, Kenya — Home to over 200,000 refugees, primarily from South Sudan, Somalia, the DRC, and Ethiopia. Many of the Lost Boys of Sudan spent years here before resettlement.
- Dadaab, Kenya — One of the world’s largest refugee complexes, hosting Somali refugees since 1991.
- Za’atari, Jordan — Opened in 2012 for Syrian refugees. It has its own market district, schools, and a hospital.
- Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh — The world’s largest refugee settlement, sheltering nearly one million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar.
- Bidi Bidi, Uganda — One of the largest camps in Africa, hosting refugees from South Sudan.
From Camp to Resettlement
For the roughly 1% of refugees who are referred for resettlement, leaving the camp is the beginning of an entirely new chapter. The resettlement process involves security screenings, medical checks, and cultural orientation — all completed before the refugee boards a plane to the United States or another resettlement country.
When families arrive in Dallas after years in a camp, the adjustment is enormous. They may have never used an elevator, a dishwasher, or a thermostat. Their apartments, secured by local resettlement agencies like the IRC, Catholic Charities, and Refugee Services of Texas, are often bare. That is where community organizations fill the gap.
Be Deliberate has completed 490+ furniture deliveries to refugee families across Dallas-Fort Worth — many of whom spent years in camps before reaching Texas. A bed after sleeping on a mat. A table after eating on the ground. These are not small things. They signal that a new life has truly begun.
For more on what families need during this transition, read our guide on what refugees need when they arrive.
How You Can Help
Refugee families who spent years in camps deserve a real home when they finally reach safety. Be Deliberate furnishes apartments for these families across Dallas-Fort Worth, turning empty rooms into welcoming spaces.
- Donate Furniture — Free pickup across Dallas-Fort Worth
- Volunteer — Help deliver and set up furniture for refugee families
- Give Financially — Fund warehouse operations and welcome home kits