
"The refugees have been given very limited resources, but they’ve found ways to maximize the usefulness of these resources. We established a lighting system to provide security. Before long, we noticed that shopkeepers had been tapping into our electrical lines, and using the electricity to light their shops. We tried to prevent this, because our electricity is limited, but more and more people figured out the trick. More and more wires began appearing. Eventually we succumbed to the inevitable. We found the first group of shopkeepers who had siphoned the electricity. We told them: ‘OK, we’re going to allow this. But you’re in charge of regulating it.’"
-Gavin White, External Relations Officer of UNHCR
(Zaatari Refugee Camp, Jordan)
Published on August 15, 2014 07:37