In February 2025, an HDF Jordan field visit brought Human Development Fund (HDF) team members to Palestinian and Syrian refugee communities across Jordan. From February 9 to 12, the team traveled through Al-Baqa’a Refugee Camp, Jerash Camp, Al-Mafraq and Zarqa.
The itinerary moved quickly, but the work was personal. Some moments involved counted deliveries of food parcels and hygiene kits. Others involved spending time with children, opening a classroom or helping a child choose new clothes. Together, they showed why humanitarian work needs both practical assistance and human presence.
The HDF Jordan field visit begins in Al-Baqa’a
On February 9, the team visited Al-Baqa’a, which the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees describes as Jordan’s largest Palestine refugee camp.
HDF distributed 250 food parcels and 250 hygiene kits. Team members also helped serve hot meals at a local charity kitchen. At an orphanage, they delivered gifts and spent time with the children.
The supplies addressed immediate needs. The time spent together mattered differently: it gave children and team members a chance to meet one another beyond a handover line.
February 10: toys, clothing and family support in Jerash
The next day, the team traveled to Jerash Camp, known locally as Gaza Camp. It was established for Palestine refugees and displaced people who had been displaced from the Gaza Strip after the 1967 war.
HDF provided toys and hygiene kits during activities with children with disabilities. Food parcels and hygiene packs also reached Palestinian refugee families. The team accompanied children from an orphan-care program to choose new clothing, giving them a say in something that was just for them.
For the children, the day included useful items and time to play. For the visiting team, it made the scale of displacement personal without reducing anyone to hardship alone.
February 11: a place to learn in Al-Mafraq
In Al-Mafraq, HDF opened an education center for displaced children. Inside a modular classroom decorated with Jordanian flags, children gathered while a team member led an activity.
The day’s work also included support for clean water, caravan housing and washroom facilities. At a local orphanage, the team spent time with children and distributed gifts.
A classroom, a washroom or a more secure place to stay cannot remove the uncertainty of displacement. Each can, however, make daily life more manageable and give a child more room to learn.
February 12: preparing food parcels for Gaza
The final working stop was Zarqa. There, the team helped assemble food parcels through HDF’s Gaza Truck Initiative. Boxes were packed in a warehouse beneath a banner identifying them as emergency food parcels for displaced families in Gaza.
The work was simple and collective: open a box, add the supplies and prepare it for the next stage. It connected a team working in Jordan with families facing hunger and displacement in Gaza.
What four days can carry forward
This visit did not resolve the long-term needs facing Palestinian and Syrian refugee families. Four days could not do that. It did show what sustained humanitarian work is made of: supplies prepared carefully, local relationships, spaces where children can learn and people willing to return to the work after the visit ends.
HDF’s Jordan field-visit video follows the team through these activities and introduces more of the people and places behind the trip.
The February 2025 visit was one chapter of Horizons for Humanity, HDF’s service-trip program. Readers interested in future opportunities can review the current destinations and interest forms on the program page.
Explore Horizons for Humanity trips →
May Allah reward every person who served, supported the work or welcomed the team, and may the relationships formed continue to lead to useful action. Ameen.
