Britain’s Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall found visiting a refugee camp in Jordan ”heartbreaking”.
As part of their three-day visit to the Middle East, the royal couple spent this morning (03.13.13) at the King Abdullah camp, which is home to more than 1,500 people who have fled the conflict in nearby Syria.
Camilla said: ”Seeing all these children, some of them have lost their parents and been adopted by others, I feel it is quite heartbreaking. They are doing a fantastic job.”
Charles added: ”Many of these children have been traumatized by the horrors of what they’ve witnessed before they got here.
”Some of them have lost their parents and had horrendous experiences and it is remarkable what all these wonderful NGOs [non-governmental organizations] are doing to deal with this unbelievable and heartbreaking situation.
”In some ways children are quite adaptable and resilient but at the same time one of their teachers was telling me that just looking at trees reminded them of where they have been. The hope is that they will get back there again.”
While Charles praised the ”unbelievable” generosity of the people of Jordan in helping the refugees, he called on the nation to be given more support.
He added: ”I think the great thing that’s come out of this is just how unbelievably generous the Jordanian people are, who are truly remarkable I think.
”It’s a desperate situation and the Jordanian people are so fantastic. The generosity is extraordinary but it’s putting more and more strain on food and hospitals so clearly the Jordanians need more assistance and help to be able to cope with this immense challenge.”
At the camp – which is run by the UN, Unicef and Save the Children – Charles and Camilla visited a craft skills training centre for women and children, and went to a nursery where 20 children sang songs to them as well as speaking to families about their ordeal.