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Japanese Support to UNRWA Cash Assistance Programme Helps Cover Basic Needs of Palestine Refugees in Syria

23 March 2018

As the war in Syria enters its eighth year this March, hundreds of thousands of Palestine refugees continue to rely on UNRWA cash assistance to help make ends meet. In 2018, UNRWA aims to provide up to 418,000 Palestine refugees inside Syria with cash assistance, distributing cash grants of US$32 per month through six distribution rounds, each covering two months of needs. The Agency’s cash assistance programme remains the most important component of the UNRWA emergency response, which aims to help Palestine refugees meet a part of their humanitarian needs with the dignity of choice.

This vital humanitarian assistance is made possible through donations by countries like Japan who in 2017 contributed US$ 2.5 million towards the Syria Regional Emergency Appeal to help provide cash assistance to vulnerable Palestine refugees in Syria, helping more than 8,700 families.

Salman, a 67-year-old retiree and father of four, is one of these Palestine refugees who receive cash assistance to help cover his basic needs. He and his family were forced to leave their home in Yarmouk in December 2012, due to the fighting there.  They have since moved multiple times and are currently living in Damascus.

Salman is a 67-year old retiree and father of four. He and his family were forced to leave their home in Yarmouk in December 2012 due to the fighting there. They have since moved multiple times and are currently living in Damascus. “Life has become very difficult. Our lives are truly a daily struggle for survival. The severity of displacement is having a detrimental impact on all aspects of our life,” he says. © UNRWA 2018 Photo by Iyad FaouriIt’s a cold February morning in Damascus, but people are already lining up at the Damascus Training Center (DTC) in the UNRWA compound. They are picking up their cash assistance, which will allow them to keep a roof over their head, put food on their table and pay for fuel to heat their homes.In 2018, UNRWA aims to provide cash grants of US$32 per month to 418,000 Palestine refugees in Syria in six rounds of distribution. © UNRWA 2018 Photo by Iyad FaouriSalman is one of the more than 418,000 Palestine refugees receiving a monthly cash grant of US$32 from UNRWA in 2018 to help cover his basic needs. Over half of the Palestine refugees in Syria are displaced, meaning that the cash grant is often used to pay rent. Salman, too, plans to settle up with his landlord. Most of his money is spent on rent, which costs him 70.000 SYP (US$ 325) a month. © UNRWA 2018 Photo by Iyad FaouriThe cash assistance, which UNRWA provides with the generous assistance of country donors like Japan, also supports Salman to buy items that once were considered normal. “I want to buy meat. It has been a long time since we ate meat,” he says. © Photo by Iyad Faouri As part of the Syria Regional Emergency Appeal, UNRWA aims to provide US$ 32 a month to over 418,000 Palestine refugees in Syria in 2018. Last year, Japan contributed US$ 2.5 million towards the provision of cash assistance to vulnerable Palestine refugees in Syria, helping more than 8,700 families, like Salman’s, in the process. © UNRWA 2017 Photo by Taghrid MohammedDistributing the funds is a logistical processinvolving UNRWA installations, as well as local banks. Every two months, eligible Palestine refugees in Syria receive a text message allocating a time to pick up their assistance. © 2018 UNRWA Photo by Iyad Faouri“We have between 200 and 300 families coming to pick up their assistance every day,” says Maysam, who works at the distribution center at the UNRWA Damascus Training Center. Around 70 percent of the refugees use the assistance to pay for rent. For many, it is their only source of income. “It helps them continue their life in a dignified way,” she says. © 2018 UNRWA Photo by Iyad Faouri

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