One Year Later: UNRWA's Response to the Crisis in Gaza (Friends of UNRWA Association)

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Last Sunday marked the one year anniversary of the most destructive military assault in Gaza’s history. Operation Cast Lead resulted in the death of over 1,400 Palestinians and more than 5,000 injuries and widespread destruction of public and private property.

Today, the bombing has ended, but the devastation endures. The men, women and children of Gaza continue to face the intensely daunting task of rebuilding their lives following the loss of loved ones, homes, personal belongings, dignity, and the routine of daily life that so many of us take for granted.

The current reality for Palestinian refugees is heartbreaking and on-going, but for 60 years, UNRWA has alleviated their pain. UNRWA supplies not just housing, food and healthcare but protection, sustenance, and compassion. Throughout the past year, UNRWA continues to remind the people of Gaza that they are not alone and that in their darkest hours, the international community is there to offer them a helping hand.

As the humanitarian crisis persists, UNRWA continues to be the lifeline for those struggling to survive:

• FOOD - Between January and December 2009, UNRWA distributed emergency food assistance in Gaza, covering an estimated 60 percent of a family’s daily calorific needs. Each beneficiary family, in accordance with its size, receives a single parcel including flour, rice, sugar, sunflower oil, whole milk and luncheon meat. Today, more than 80% of Gazans now rely on this emergency food aid provided by UNRWA’s Emergency Relief program.
  
• SHELTER - Home repair and rehabilitation activities ensure safe, dignified and minimum standards of housing for Gazan families whose homes were destroyed or damaged during the recent crisis. Over 50,000 Gazans who fled their homes were housed temporarily in 50 temporary shelters opened by UNRWA in schools across the Gaza Strip. Tents were distributed to 895 families; 6,652 families received tarpaulin; 2,366 families received parcels of new clothes and 400 families received kitchen kits. Blankets, mattresses, sleeping mats, family mats and hygiene kits were received by more than 46,000 families.
• EDUCATION - All UNRWA schools reopened on January 24, 2009, within one week of the declaration of ceasefires. Today, the UNRWA school system provides a safe and secure learning environment for more than 200,000 refugee children. A range of approaches have been used to help students and teachers re-engage with the learning process. Recreational activities have been organized, open learning approaches encouraged and evening homework sessions organized for students, to help catch up with teaching time lost during the war.
• HEALTH - UNRWA has expanded the Community Mental Health Program in an effort to mitigate the immediate and longer term effects of the recent conflict on the population in Gaza and contribute to the rehabilitation of affected families and communities. Counselors have identified more than 18,000 students at UNRWA schools as directly involved in the war by being directly exposed to one or more tragedies like loss of home or close family member. While some of these students showed spontaneous recovery most of them underwent counseling and other psychosocial interventions. Training was provided for over 5,000 UNRWA teachers on dealing with students affected by the war and awareness raising activities were held for 25,212 refugees.

Now more than ever, UNRWA needs the support of its friends. For the past sixty years, UNRWA has steadfastly championed the refugees of Palestine by providing health, education, and emergency services. Today, this UN agency needs your assistance to carry on its vital mission.

In 2009, your generous support helped American Friends of UNRWA raise hundreds of thousands of dollars to support the desperately needed work of UNRWA, including special food and medical aid to Gaza. Please consider making an end of the year tax-deductible donation today.

Your donation to American Friends of UNRWA will ensure the continuation of UNRWA’s programs and services for the people of Palestine. This year, more than ever, every gift is critical in helping UNRWA to further its mission.

You can make your tax-deductible contribution online by clicking here, which will lead you to our safe and secure website. Alternatively, you may mail your contribution to the Friends of UNRWA Association, 1666 K Street NW, Suite 440, Washington, DC 20006.

Thank you for your continued support and your personal commitment to UNRWA and the Palestine refugees