28 May 2012 Gaza
The United Arab Emirates Red Crescent (UAERC) has generously contributed $ 817,000 in support of food for the poorest refugees in Gaza.
The donation will support some of the most vulnerable Palestine refugee families requiring assistance under the Agency’s social safety-net programme (SSNP). This programme targets refugee families most in need in UNRWA’s five fields of operation through providing food assistance including baskets of essential commodities such as flour, rice, oil, sugar and milk. After what will soon be five years of tight access restrictions and blockade much of the population of the Gaza Strip remains unemployed, poor, and dependent on aid. 68 percent of the refugee population is receiving food from UNRWA, and 62 percent of the total Gaza population is dependent on international agencies for at least some of its food, while the unemployment rate stands at 29 percent.
Welcoming the contribution, Mr Filippo Grandi, UNRWA Commissioner-General said’ “Five years of access restrictions have brought many Gazan families to their knees. People are very dependent on our food programmes. Securing funding for these programmes is increasingly difficult, and so we are especially grateful to the UAERC for coming forward now with this timely donation.”
The UAERC is a regular contributor to food for Palestine refugees in Gaza. Over the last five years, the UAERC contributed over 5 million dollars for food aid. The UAERC is also a committed supporter of shelter reconstruction for Palestine refugees through UNRWA, having supported major projects in Lebanon, Gaza and Syria.
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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, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
For more information, please contact:
Sami Mshasha UNRWA Arabic Spokesperson Mobile: +972 (0)54 216 8295 Office: +972 (0)2 589 0724 s.mshasha@unrwa.org