Islamic Relief USA and American Friends of UNRWA Work Together to Provide Food for Gaza Refugees
(Photo: UNRWA)
Islamic Relief USA’s donation provides more than 150 Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip with emergency food aid during the tough winter months. Islamic Relief USA and American Friends of UNRWA have formed a strong partnership in order to provide humanitarian assistance in the form of basic food aid, providing for approximately 60% of a needy family’s food needs.
November 3, 2009 – Islamic Relief and American Friends of UNRWA have joined together to provide vital food packages for Palestinian families in the Gaza Strip.
Today, more than nine months after the conflict in the Gaza Strip, 75% of Gazans still rely on food aid provided by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and more than 60% of Gazans currently do not have daily access to clean water. Such shortages worsen the persistent nutritional deficiencies, which have resulted in widespread cases of acute anemia, vitamin A deficiency and stunted growth.
In an effort to provide these needy families with the support they need, Islamic Relief USA and American Friends of UNRWA have joined together to ensure the distribution of emergency food aid packages, which provide approximately 60% of an average family’s basic food needs. These packages are a critical means of basic humanitarian assistance in the form of basic concentrated foods, including but not limited to wheat flour, rice, lentils, cooking oil, salt, and sugar. Support for emergency food distribution is especially critical for a population that is at risk of sliding even deeper into food insecurity and preventing the continuation of debilitating nutritional deficiencies.
Through its generous donation to UNRWA, Islamic Relief USA has helped to provide food aid for more than 150 families in the Gaza Strip throughout the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, and the special holidays of Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Fitr.
About Islamic Relief USA and American Friends of UNRWA:
Since 1993, Islamic Relief USA has worked tirelessly in countries around the world to alleviate poverty, suffering, hunger, and illiteracy. In addition to its international relief and development initiatives, Islamic Relief USA also maintains domestic projects to help disadvantaged communities in the United States. Islamic Relief USA is a part of the larger Islamic Relief Worldwide family, which has provided education, income generation, water and sanitation, orphan support, health and nutrition, and emergency relief to some of the world's poorest people for the past 25 years.
American Friends of UNRWA is a nonprofit organization that supports the work of UNRWA for the benefit of Palestine refugees. The primary focus of American Friends of UNRWA is to help provide for emergency medical and food relief where it is most critically needed by Palestine refugees and to fundraise for targeted programs and special projects in education, health, and women's issues.