242 REFUGEE FAMILIES RECEIVE ASSISTANCE FROM Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA FOR RECONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR WORKS

24 October 2016

Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA was able to disburse over US$ 1.7 million for reconstruction (over US$ 951,000) and severe repair works (over US$ 759,000). The funds reached a total of 242 refugee families across Gaza. They were able to access their assistance this week.

Emergency shelter – including support for home repairs, reconstruction and interim shelter solutions – is a top priority for Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA. The Agency remains committed to supporting affected families yet requires new funding to continue the shelter cash assistance programme.

BACKGROÄ¢¹½ÊÓÆµD INFORMATION

Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA Programme Budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA encourages all Member States to work collectively to exert all possible efforts to fully fund the Agency’s Programme Budget. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large shortfalls, are funded through separate funding portals.

Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.

For more information, please contact:

Christopher Gunness

Spokesperson, Director of Advocacy & Strategic Communications

Mobile:  +972 (0)54 240 2659

Office: +972 (0)2 589 0267

Sami Mshasha

Chief of Communications, Arabic Language Spokesperson

Office:+972 (0)54 216 8295

Mobile: +972  (0)2 89 0724

Naja Sheikh Ahmad

Acting Puwblic Information Officer – Gaza Field Office

Mobile: +972 597 920 542

Office: +972 8 2887 488