EXTREMADURA SUPPORTS HEALTH IN SYRIA
07 July 2014
East Jerusalem
The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is grateful to the Government of Extremadura, Spain, for its contribution to the Agency’s Syria response efforts. The contribution of EUR 75,000 (US$ 102,000) will help UNRWA acquire and distribute hygiene kits for people displaced by the ongoing conflict.
Since March 2011, civilians in Syria are suffering the serious consequences of a conflict that has few precedents in the region. It has forced 2.5 million people to seek refuge in neighbouring countries, while more than 6 million are internally displaced. Palestine refugees in Syria are among the most vulnerable; even before the conflict, they faced higher levels of poverty and unemployment, which the disruptions of the past few years have only exacerbated.
UNRWA calculates that nearly half a million Palestine refugees still in Syria – representing almost all of the pre-conflict population – are in need of assistance. Half are displaced within the country; 53,000 have sought refuge in Lebanon, while almost 14,000 have fled to Jordan.
Even once they find places of safety, refugees’ struggles are not over. In Syria, the collective shelters – many of them housed in schools – have experienced outbreaks of scabies and lice. Hygiene kits, including toothpaste, shampoo and detergent, are an important element of improving displaced people’s living conditions. The support from Extremadura will allow UNRWA to acquire 2,015 kits, which will help approximately 9,000 people, including over 2,000 children, protect themselves from some of the consequences of displacement.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance.
Financial support to UNRWA has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees, expanding need, and deepening poverty. As a result, the Agency's General Fund (GF), supporting UNRWA’s core activities and 97 per cent reliant on voluntary contributions, has begun each year with a large projected deficit. Currently the deficit stands at US$ 69 million.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Gunness
UNRWA Spokesperson
Mobile:
+972 (0)54 240 2659
Office:
+972 (0)2 589 0267
Sami Mshasha
UNRWA Arabic Spokesperson
Mobile:
+972 (0)54 216 8295
Office:
+972 (0)2 589 0724
Document Sources: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Country: Spain, Syria
Subject: Assistance, Health, Middle East situation, Refugee camps, Refugees and displaced persons
Publication Date: 07/07/2014