RESOURCE CENTER IN SAHARAWI REFUGEE CAMPS

OUTLINE

Brief geography/history The refugee camps Our project

BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Western Sahara

located in Northwest Africa

Used to be Spanish colony for over a century

Morocco and Mauritania doubly occupied the territory in 1975

The result…

Sixteen-year-long war: death of thousands

Forced other thousands to flee to Algeria

More than 200,000 three decades later wait in the biggest and oldest refugee camp in the world in southern Algeria

THE CAMPS

DAILY LIFE IN THE CAMPS

Water

Food

Shelter

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS Temperatures up

to 120 in summer and freezing in winter

Frequent sandstorms

It rains once or twice a year

ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONSThis is what happens after it rains

OUR PROJECT

A Resource Center to Build Saharawi Civil Society and Develop Advocacy for Civil Rights

WHAT AND WHY? The goal is to provide the Saharawis

with the opportunity to communicate about their needs to raise international awareness and concern

By giving the Saharawis an opportunity to share their voice, we believe International Organizations will listen, and be able to help improve camp conditions.

WHAT AND WHY? A Resource Center that provides

the necessary resources for an effective, peaceful and non-violent advocacy for Saharawi cause

It will offer a variety of empowering materials, including world literature, women’s literature, language manuals, dictionaries, reference materials and social entrepreneurship

Cultural shows with Saharawi poetry, songs and dances

Workshops on leadership and advocacy

THANK YOU!