UNRWA alumni
UNRWA Alumni share what being a Palestine refugee means to them
Palestine refugees are your local doctors, engineers, parents, leaders, and change-makers.
Every Palestine refugee has a story. What’s yours?
did you attend unrwa schools, receive unrwa services, or serve as unrwa staff?
Share what being a Palestine refugee means to you by joining the UNRWA Alumni of North America.
Refugee stories
about the unrwa alumni of north america
The newly created UNRWA Alumni of North America is an organized group of people who share the common experience of having attended UNRWA schools, benefited from UNRWA services, and/or served as UNRWA staff and are living in or citizens of the United States or Canada. Through their personal stories and advocacy efforts, members aim to help change the US narrative around Palestine refugees and subsequently generate widespread American support for UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East).
The personal stories of UNRWA alumni illustrate the unique experiences of Palestine refugees spanning the last 70+ years across the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. UNRWA alumni endured atrocities and hardships in their lifetimes -- the Nakba in 1948, the Naksa in 1967, the ongoing Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory, the civil war in Lebanon, the Intifadas, the ongoing Israeli and Egyptian blockades of the Gaza Strip, and the war in Syria. With the fundamental assistance of UNRWA, these resilient and determined refugees succeeded in overcoming complex and challenging circumstances to build better lives for themselves and their families.