From UNRWA’s Syria Office: The Earthquake
This piece is written by our guest author Amanya Michael Ebye, UNRWA’s Director of Affairs in Syria.
2023 has already seen a string of several tragic events that have shaken our community.
The devastating earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey on February 6 has left millions of people including Palestine refugees in dire need of assistance. Palestine refugees including children have been killed and over 500 families have lost homes and many more have lost their livelihoods.
Amanya Michael Ebye, the Director of UNRWA Affairs in Syria writes for our ‘Voices of UNRWA’ blog on UNRWA’s role during this tragedy.
Beginnings
As a Ugandan national with 29 years of experience in humanitarian work and a background in social work and humanitarian studies, I never lost sight of my beginnings.
I was displaced at the age of 8 and again at the age of 15 during turbulent times in Uganda. Such crucial events in my childhood are why I’m attracted to the humanitarian field and why I joined UNRWA’s team in Syria.
unrwa in syria
UNRWA has been present in Syria since 1950 and plays an important role in providing for Palestine refugees in the country. During the Syrian conflict, many of its facilities, including schools and health centers, were damaged or destroyed.
Despite these challenges, UNRWA continues to provide essential services to Palestine refugees living in Syria, including education, health care, social services, vocational training, emergency cash, and food assistance to refugees living in 12 Palestine refugee camps and communities across the country.
There are over 438,000 Palestine refugees estimated in Syria and their situation is very difficult. They are among the most vulnerable populations in Syria. 90% of Palestine refugees live below the poverty line. Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria, 60% of them have been displaced more than once from their homes and over 122 thousand [22%] of those who lived in Syria were forced to flee to other countries.
Many Palestine refugees continue to face significant challenges in accessing basic necessities and essential services because of the funding challenges that UNRWA continues to face.
earthquake response
Immediately after the earthquake, UNRWA dispatched a multi-disciplinary team to the affected region to conduct an assessment and all UNRWA staff in the affected region started providing assistance and support to the affected refugees.
A collective shelter was established to provide shelter and food for over 1,000 refugees whose houses had been damaged or affected. UNRWA teams in all the affected areas started providing medical care, and psychosocial support to the refugees, especially the children who were terrified by the many aftershocks, protection services, and damage assessment of UNRWA buildings.
Challenges of UNRWA after the earthquake
Funding to provide immediate food, mattresses, and blankets to those affected.
Funding to provide immediate cash assistance to those whose homes had been damaged and were not able to move to collective shelters.
Dealing with anxiety and fear from another earthquake while doing everything to provide assistance to those affected. All including our staff were sleeping on the streets fearing that their houses could collapse while having to provide services and work the following day.
Funding for rehabilitating/repairing Palestine refugees' houses in Latakia, Neirab, and Ein El Tal. Over 500 refugee homes have been affected by the earthquake.
Further ensuring PSS services to refugees. Some of them have already been displaced several times and have lost their homes again. As of 1 March, 746 telemedicine calls were made and 131 patients received PSS support from UNRWA’s health center in Latakia, Aleppo, and Hama.
Rehabilitating 17 UNRWA buildings affected by the earthquake (schools, health centers) to enable UNRWA to continue providing services to the refugees.
How can YOU better support UNRWA’s work:
Donate: UNRWA relies on donations from governments and individuals to fund its programs and services. You can donate online through the UNRWA USA website.
Volunteer: UNRWA offers a volunteer program where individuals can contribute their time and skills to support the work of the agency. For more information, visit UNRWA's website.
Spread awareness: You can help raise awareness about the situation of Palestinian refugees and UNRWA's work by spreading information on social media or talking to friends and family.
Get involved: You can also advocate for policies and actions that support UNRWA's work and the rights of Palestinian refugees.
It's important to know that UNRWA's work is ongoing and requires sustained support. By donating, volunteering, raising awareness of UNRWA's work and advocating for Palestine refugees, you can help improve the lives of those affected.
Gratitude
On behalf of UNRWA, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for UNRWA USA’s generous donations that has helped us to mount an immediate response in support of those that were affected.
Your contribution will make a significant difference in the lives of over 60,000 Palestine refugees who were directly affected by the earthquake and need emergency assistance to recover and continue to live with dignity.
As you may know, UNRWA has been providing vital services to Palestine refugees in Syria and other countries for decades. However, with this unexpected earthquake, our work is more important than ever, and we rely on donations to continue to provide these services.
Your donation will help ensure that they have access to basic necessities such as food, shelter and health care, and that they receive education and other essential services to help them build a better future.
Thank you again for your generosity and commitment to supporting Palestine refugees and the work of UNRWA. We could not do this without your support and we are very grateful for your contribution.
