ReliefWeb

Amman

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is grateful to Tkiyet Um Ali organization (TUA) and the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization for Relief and Development (JHC), from Jordan, for food support for Palestine refugees in Gaza. In May 2014, they have sent three trucks of food aid to UNRWA in Gaza, bearing over 30,000 kg of frozen meat that will be distributed to nearly 50,000 Palestine refugees across the enclave.

Welcoming the donation, the acting Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza, Christer Nordahl, said: “We are extremely grateful to Tkiyet Um Ali and to the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization for this timely and generous helping hand.”

The donation from TUA comes at an important moment. Following years of blockade and closure, residents of the Gaza Strip are struggling with high unemployment, low wages and rising food prices that have driven an increase in food insecurity. The support of donors and partners from around the region is of vital importance.

TUA was founded in 2002 by Princess Haya of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and seeks to serve as a model for hunger and relief initiatives across the region. JHCO, established in 1990 as a multi-functional relief and humanitarian foundation, has a long history of providing UNRWA with in-kind donations and of providing support to other organizations seeking to help Palestine refugees.

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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 c.gunness@unrwa.org

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