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EU support helps UNRWA reach the most vulnerable Palestine refugees in Syria

10 August 2015

The vulnerability of Palestine refugees in Syria is deepening as the conflict continues into its fifth year. Their needs continue to grow: more than 95 per cent of the Palestine refugees in Syria are now reliant on UNRWA to meet their minimum needs.

Without this immediate support from UNRWA, Palestine refugees in Syria would not have enough food to fill their children’s stomachs, health care to mitigate the effects of prolonged impoverishment and trauma, cash to meet urgent daily needs, or education to provide their children with hope for a brighter future.

The European Union (EU) continues to make a critical contribution to this vital work. In December 2013, the EU provided UNRWA with EUR 13.2 million (US$ 17.9 million) for cash assistance, health care and education, supporting the most vulnerable Palestine refugees in Syria. In December 2014, the EU extended the project and provided UNRWA with an additional EUR 10 million (US$ 13.5 million).

The vulnerability of Palestine refugees in Syria has never been greater. After five years of bitter conflict, they have exhausted their financial, emotional and physical reserves. Women, children, the disabled and the elderly are at particular risk. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid Mohammad.Prior to the crisis, Syria hosted over 560,000 Palestine refugees. Now, more than half have been internally displaced, with a further 80,000 fleeing to neighbouring countries, like Lebanon and Jordan, and to countries in Europe. Increasingly harsh border restrictions mean Palestine refugees in Syria now have few options for refuge. Douma Collective Shelter, Damascus. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid Mohammad.Cash assistance is critical in ensuring that particularly vulnerable Palestine refugees do not fall further into extreme poverty. Support from the EU allowed UNRWA to provide support to 35,024 refugees in the first round of cash assistance in 2015. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid Mohammad.Sixty-year-old Mahmoud fled Yalda for refuge in Qudsaya, Damascus, with only the clothes he wore. ”We live on a tight budget and our resources are stretched to the limit. The cash assistance can hardly cover the rent and I don’t have money to buy food,” he says. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid Mohammad. Female-headed households are particularly vulnerable. Taking on the financial and emotional responsibility for the family can be immensely stressful. Single mothers in Syria face social stigmas and have difficulty finding reliable work and a stable income. For the lucky few who find employment, regular childcare and schooling remain a struggle. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadEducation is an essential tool in breaking the cycle of poverty and mitigates the effects of conflict on children. In the longer term, it helps ensure that young Palestine refugees can contribute positively to a post-conflict society. Support from the EU contributed to the schooling of 47,000 Palestine refugee children in 2014-2015. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid Mohammad.Palestine refugees are facing physical and emotional trauma as a result of the conflict, as well as an increase in non-communicable diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Support from the EU helps ensure that UNRWA clinics remain stocked with life-saving drugs and medicines to treat these conditions. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid Mohammad.Contributions from donors like the EU provide urgently needed emergency support for Palestine refugees in Syria. However, in 2014, the UNRWA Syria Emergency Appeal was only 50 per cent funded. If funding levels continue to decline, critical interventions such as emergency education, health care and cash assistance will be threatened. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid Mohammad.

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