The Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation contributed, in cooperation with the Uited Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), to the implementation of the Ramadan 'Feed the Fasting’ project in the Gaza Strip, for the fifth consecutive year.
Thanks to this generous contribution, over 25,000 Palestine refugees in Gaza received hot, protein-rich iftar meals during the holy month. Beneficiaries were selected from among the poorest families and persons with special needs. The hot meals were distributed through 20 community-based organizations throughout the Gaza Strip.
This contribution comes at a time in which the economic difficulties facing Gazans have increased as a result of not only the continuing blockade of Gaza but also the recent closure of many of the tunnels linking Gaza to Egypt.
Peter Ford, Representative of the UNRWA Commissioner-General, said: “The Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation is one of UNRWA’s most supportive donors in the Gulf. In addition to regular food support for the neediest refugees in the West Bank and Gaza, the Foundation contributed to the Agency’s 'Adopt-a-School Initiative’, for the academic years 2010 and 2012, by adopting a school, named Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Elementary Boys School.”
– Ends –
Background information
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance.
Financial support to UNRWA has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees, expanding need, and deepening poverty. As a result, the Agency's General Fund (GF), supporting UNRWA’s core activities and 97 per cent reliant on voluntary contributions, has begun each year with a large projected deficit. Currently the deficit stands at US$ 58.5 million.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Gunness
UNRWA Spokesperson
Mobile: +972 (0)54 240 2659
Office: +972 (0)2 589 0267
c.gunness@unrwa.org
Sami Mshasha
UNRWA Arabic Spokesperson
Mobile: +972 (0)54 216 8295
Office: +972 (0)2 589 0724
s.mshasha@unrwa.org