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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Syrian refugees living in Zaatari refugee camp were stocking up on dates and juices on Sunday (June 5) as they prepared for yet another Ramadan away from their homes.

The camp, some 15 kilometers (10 miles) from Jordan's border, is home to around 85,000 Syrians. Many have been there since the start of the conflict in 2012.

Those in the camp say they will try to a pleasant and spiritual atmosphere during Ramadan, despite being away from their country.

One shopkeeper, Ghazwan Qaisi, said he is buying food items which Muslims traditionally eat to break their fast.

"Thank God, we are stocking up on juices, on dates, to a Ramadan atmosphere. People here are getting ready by buying licorice juice and other items," he said.

Breaking the fast, or Iftar, usually involves eating dates, a spread of home-cooked food and various sweet juices. This is usually followed by an array of desserts.

Mohammed Ammari, who has been living in the camp for three years, said he misses spending Ramadan in his hometown of Deraa.

"We need to rethe Ramadan atmosphere, spending time with your family at home, going shopping with your wife and kids. Ramadan is about gathering people together, it's about love, it's the month of peace and blessings," he said.

With fewer work opportunities for refugees available and with their savings quickly running out, many living in the camp depend on assistance from the World Food Program to enable them to buy all their Ramadan needs.

Spokesperson for the WFP in Jordan, Shaza Mughrabi, said the aid agency is providing assistance to Syrians through an electronic card which is refilled with money every month.

This enables the refugees to buy the items they need, rather than receive pre-packaged food aid.

Jordan currently hosts more than 1.4 million refugees, with most of them living in urban areas and around 100,000 Syrians in camps.

Since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011, more than 4.2 million people have fled Syria, while some 13.5 million people need protection and help inside Syria, of which more than six million are children, according to the United Nations.

*Reuters