UAE Red Crescent donates $272K to help Gaza refugees during Ramadan – UNRWA press release

UAE Red Crescent assists over 12,000 poor families in Gaza during Ramadan

الأونروا تغرس شجرة زيتون على شرف رئيس صندوق الأوبك للتنمية الدولية

Arabic text: http://www.unrwa.org/atemplate.php?id=1076

31 July 2012, Amman, Jordan — The United Arab Emirates Red Crescent (UAERC) has generously contributed one million dirhams (USD 272,000) for needy refugees in Gaza during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Since the imposition of the blockade, food security has deteriorated in the Gaza Strip, and Ramadan is a time when this is felt most acutely. The generous contribution from the UAERC will provide the poorest refugees with adequate nutrition to ensure their overall well-being during the Holy Month of Ramadan through hot meals for 11,645 poor families in Gaza, as well as cash assistance as Zakat and clothes for Eid Al-Fitr for 642 families living in abject poverty.

Meals will be distributed to poor refugees against coupons issued through community-based organisations to the poorest of the poor in the Gaza Strip – mostly beneficiaries of UNRWA’s social safety-net programme.

Welcoming the contribution, Peter Ford, Representative of the UNRWA Commissioner-General, said: “This latest donation exemplifies the consistent support the UAERC gives to Palestine refugees in Gaza and elsewhere through UNRWA. The UAERC’s continued concern for the people of Gaza is deeply appreciated. Refugees are depending on our food programmes, and this contribution will help us to address the needs of this population during Ramadan.”

The UAERC is a regular supporter of Palestine refugees through UNRWA. Over the last five years, the UAERC has contributed over five million dollars for food aid. The UAERC also supports the Agency’s shelter reconstruction projects, having contributed funds for rebuilding in Lebanon, Gaza, and Syria.

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, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

For more information, please contact:

Peter Ford
Representative of the UNRWA Commissioner-General
Mobile: +962 (0) 77 676 0062
Office: +962 (0) 65 80 8521
p.ford@unrwa.org

Sami Mshasha
UNRWA Arabic Spokesperson
Mobile: +972 (0)54 216 8295
Office: +972 (0)2 589 0724
s.mshasha@unrwa.org