29 April 2010
Damascus
With a generous donation of €1,000,000 the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) has allowed UNRWA to support some 2,300 Palestinian Iraqi refugees in Syria in coping with their prolonged and dire situation by helping cover the costs of housing.
Palestinians living in Iraq fled due to severe persecution, and while Syria provides the safety they did not have in Iraq, they now face enormous economic and social hardship.
UNRWA is providing assistance to Palestinian Iraqis as a temporary measure in as much as its funding allows, but it does not have the means to ensure an adequate living standard for this population. ECHO support helps UNRWA target and protect the most vulnerable of the Palestinian Iraqis, who are unable to return to Iraq or work in Syria.
UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, provides education, healthcare, social services, shelter, and micro-credit opportunities to a population of 470,000 Palestine refugees in Syria.
ECHO is the agency responsible for oversight and coordination of humanitarian aid operations for the European Union, and an important donor to UNRWA.
For information only Not an official record
For further information please contact:
Hala Mukhles
Office: 6133035 ext 314
Mobile: 0933416591
UNRWA and ECHO
Since 1992, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) has funded relief to millions of victims of both natural disasters and man-made crises outside the EU. Aid is channeled impartially, straight to victims, regardless of their race, religion and political beliefs. For the past 18 years, ECHO has supported UNRWA through a variety of programmes.
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