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Food assistance makes a difference in Syria, thanks to UAE

19 February 2015

Access to sufficient food is a daily struggle for most Palestine refugee families in Syria. More than half of Palestine refugees in Syria have fled their homes, leaving behind their savings, assets and livelihoods. The onset of winter and soaring prices of food, heating and shelter has placed additional strains on their resilience.

Generous support from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has allowed UNRWA to provide essential food assistance to 93,000 Palestine refugee families in Syria in late 2014 and early 2015. This vulnerable community has been severely affected by the surrounding crisis, with over 280,000 Palestine refugees displaced within Syria as a result of armed conflict. The timely UAE contribution of US$ 15 million has helped Palestine refugee families meet their minimum needs during an intense and continuing humanitarian crisis.

Support from donors such as the UAE means UNRWA can continue to provide regular food assistance to Palestine refugee families throughout Syria, including in areas of active conflict. Such assistance supports a minimum level of nutritional health, while maintaining the important family rituals of cooking and eating together, providing stability and routine in uncertain circumstances.

Palestine refugees from Damascus queue at the UNRWA Alliance Distribution Centre to receive food packages, made possible by the generous support of the United Arab Emirates. Damascus, November 2014. © 2014 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadPrices for fresh food in Syria have risen dramatically, putting them out of reach for many Palestine refugees. Mother of three Ibtisam Hassan says, “Meat and chicken are getting expensive. We cannot afford them and my children understand that. We have exhausted all our savings.” Damascus, November 2014. © 2014 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadFor Shahnaz Ghneim and her family, food assistance provided by UNRWA, made possible by the generous support of the UAE, is a lifeline. Shahnaz is expecting her second child. “We do not have enough money to buy baby clothes and diapers. The food basket helps us during this difficult time,” she says. Alliance Distribution Center, Damascus, November 2014. © 2014 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadUNRWA monthly food packages, made possible by the generous support of the UAE, contain staple foodstuffs including pasta, lentils, rice, cooking oil, milk powder and sugar. Here, a woman cooks pasta from her package for her evening meal. Damascus, November 2014. © 2014 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadFood assistance from the UAE helps the most vulnerable refugees, including female-headed households. Nisrine Farhat uses the lentils and rice from her UNRWA/UAE food package to cook her favourite dish of moujadara. “It is easy, fast and delicious. The food basket brings food to my family at this extremely difficult time,” she says. Damascus, November 2014. © 2014 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadNisrine’s young daughter lost significant weight when she was trapped away from her mother in the besieged area of Yarmouk for eight months, forcing her to survive on grass. UNRWA food packages, made possible by the generous support of the UAE, ensure that each member of her family now has at least 700 kcal per day. Damascus, November 2014. © 2014 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadUNRWA food packages, made possible by the generous support and funding of the UAE, allow Nisrine and her family to eat home-cooked food together as a family, an important daily ritual, even in the midst of the conflict. Damascus, November 2014. © 2014 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid Mohammad

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