UNRWA PARTNERS WITH MUSLIM CHARITY TO PROVIDE PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT
AND HELP TO FAMILIES MADE HOMELESS BY RECENT VIOLENCE IN GAZA
01 December 2014
London
Muslim Charity Helping the Needy and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) have signed an agreement to provide psychosocial support to conflict-affected families and much-needed support to homeless people in the Gaza Strip. The US$ 300,000 grant will help UNRWA provide psychosocial support and shelter thousands of people amongst the 80,000 homeless families. The Muslim Charity also worked with UNRWA to provide non-food item kits to 1,500 families when the recent conflict broke out in the Gaza Strip.
The Muslim Charity has also launched the ‘Help Gaza’ campaign to strengthen rebuilding efforts in Gaza. Gaza lies in ruins and tragedy; the civilian population has borne the brunt of the recent violence. The current crisis is the worst Gaza has seen in decades, more than 100,000 people have had their homes destroyed. Hospitals, schools, shops and factories have all been badly damaged, and thousands have lost everything they owned. The multifaceted Help Gaza campaign aims to raise much-needed funds for rebuilding lives of people in Gaza through support for the renovation and repair of houses, psychosocial support, education and health services. The campaign also aims to help families become self-reliant through increased income generation skills.
Muslim Charity Vice Chairman Bakhtyar Pirzada commented, “Through continuing generous donations from benefactors and partners, we will make all the efforts to help save and rebuild lives in Gaza. It is our aim to demonstrate our solidarity with the people of Gaza through supporting UNRWA to help them to rebuild their homes. I am sure people in the United Kingdom will continue to generously donate towards helping families repair or rebuild their homes in Gaza.”
Lionello Boscardi from UNRWA said, "We are very grateful for the generous and timely donations received from Muslim Charity in support of UNRWA operation in Gaza. The emergency is not over yet. Only this week, extreme weather and flooding has forced hundreds of families in Gaza to evacuate their homes."
ABOUT MUSLIM CHARITY
Muslim Charity seeks a world of hope, tolerance and social justice where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity. We are committed to making efforts in becoming a global catalyst and partner of choice to end poverty. Through support of hundreds and thousands of donors we have reached more than one million vulnerable people, which reveals our unshakeable commitment to the dignity of people.
For further information or media enquiries please contact: info@muslimcharity.org.uk(link sends e-mail) or call 0207 100 4930.
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$ 56 million.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Gunness
UNRWA Spokesperson
Mobile:
+972 (0)54 240 2659
Office:
+972 (0)2 589 0267
Sami Mshasha
Chief of Communications & Arabic Language 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)
Subject: Armed conflict, Assistance, Gaza Strip, Health, House demolitions, Humanitarian relief, Internally displaced persons, Living conditions, Refugees and displaced persons, Social issues
Publication Date: 01/12/2014