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UNRWA returns to assess damage in Husseinieh

13 February 2015

 

For the first time in over 18 months, UNRWA returned to assess the extent of the damage to its installations in the area of Husseinieh, 12 kilometers south east of Damascus. Entering Husseinieh on 9 February was an important first step in restoring UNRWA services and making the area habitable for returning civilians.

Husseinieh was previously home to approximately 40,000 Palestine refugees. In the summer of 2013, the entire population fled following intense armed confrontations. The prolonged conflict in Husseinieh inflicted significant damage and destruction to the area.

Nine UNRWA installations including four schools, the health centre, the social services offices, the woman’s programme centre, youth and distribution centres require repair, while major reconstruction efforts are needed to restore electricity, water and sanitation networks. Many civilian homes have been similarly affected. UNRWA access was facilitated by the Syrian authorities, including the General Administration for Palestine Arab Refugees (GAPAR).

UNRWA will engage with humanitarian partners in Syria to ensure the requirements of returning Palestine refugees are met to the fullest extent possible, a process that will require substantial additional funding. As in Qabr Essit, a Palestine refugee camp in which UNRWA recently repaired and re-opened a school and community centre, Husseinieh has the potential to provide an important symbol of hope for Palestine refugees in Syria facing their fifth year of crisis.

Husseinieh is extensively damaged. This photo was taken during the first UNRWA visit to the area since May 2013. Approximately 280,000 Palestine refugees have been displaced in Syria as a result of armed conflict. Husseinieh, February 2015. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadOn February 9, UNRWA entered Husseinieh. It was home to 40,000 Palestine refugees who fled when armed confrontations engulfed the area in the summer of 2013. Husseinieh, February 2015. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadThe first UNRWA visit was a critical first step toward rehabilitating the Agency’s nine installations in Husseinieh, February 2015. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadThe four UNRWA schools in Husseinieh have sustained varying degrees of damage. Husseinieh, February 2015. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadOnly 43 of the 118 UNRWA schools in Syria prior to the crisis are currently operational. These schools are overcrowded, and running double or triple shifts to provide classes to tens of thousands of displaced students. Husseinieh, February 2015. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadThe remnants of conflict are evident throughout Husseinieh. February 2015. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadAn UNRWA worker walks through the damaged UNRWA distribution centre. Husseinieh, February 2015. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadUNRWA health centres have not been spared from looting. The pharmacy at the UNRWA health centre in Husseinieh has been emptied of its drugs and medicines. Husseinieh, February 2015. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid MohammadFull recovery may take some time as infrastructure networks including water, sewerage and electricity have been heavily damaged. Rehabilitating the area will require substantial funding. Husseinieh, February 2015. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid Mohammad With rehabilitation, Husseinieh has the potential to become an important symbol of hope and resilience the conflict in Syria enters its fifth year. Husseinieh, February 2015. © 2015 UNRWA Photo by Taghrid Mohammad

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