JERUSALEM, February 1, 2016 (WAFA) - The Government of Italy has donated 1 million Euros ($1.09 million) to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to support Palestine refugees in Syria, Monday said a statement published on UNRWA’s website.
The statement stated that Italy contributed a sum of $1.9 million to support Palestinian refugees in Syria; ‘as they continue to cope with what it described as, ‘the worst humanitarian crisis in decades’.
As part of the assistance provided in response to the crisis in Yarmouk in April 2015, the Italian government was one of the first donors to support the Agency’s effort to assist vulnerable Palestine refugees with humanitarian food assistance, noted the statement.
“Due to the ongoing conflict in Syria, the savings and coping mechanisms of Palestine refugees have all been exhausted, pushing countless families to reduce their food consumption and dietary diversity.”
With food prices soaring, food assistance has become a critical relief intervention for the over 90 per cent of Palestine refugees in Syria who solely rely on UNRWA for support, the statement explained.
“With the generous contribution from the Government of Italy, UNRWA was able to support up to 33,708 Palestine refugees with 8,427 family food parcels, 4,500 hygiene kits and additional life-sustaining food commodities to supplement their daily needs.”
The distribution was carried out by UNRWA through the 15 distribution points it maintains across the country, including 10 in Damascus and one each in Aleppo, Dera’a, Hama, Homs and Latakia – these points enable the Agency to reach most of the 450,000 Palestine refugees remaining in Syria.
Italy has long been one of the Agency’s most reliable donors. In 2015, Italy contributed EUR 8.75 million (US$ 9.56 million) to UNRWA, including EUR 4 million (US$ 4.36 million) for the Agency’s core programmes and services.
In 2015, the Government of Italy donated EUR 1 million (US$ 1.09 million) in support of the Agency’s humanitarian response to the Yarmouk emergency.
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