Providing Basic Education Health and Social Services to Palestinian Refugees - UNRWA 2016

Established in 1949 the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is the only UN Agency mandated to provide basic services and humanitarian assistance to approximately 5.2 million Palestinian refugees living in the West Bank and Gaza Syria Jordan and Lebanon. Palestinian refugees are among the most vulnerable Palestinians and endure higher levels of poverty unemployment and food insecurity. Canada’s contribution to UNRWA's 2016 programme budget helps to meet Palestinian refugees' basic education health social service and livelihood needs especially those of women and children. This funding supports Canada’s efforts to focus international assistance on the poorest and most vulnerable to support fragile states and to champion the rights of women and refugees.

Canada's funding contributes to the following key expected results: Education: • Quality basic education for 493 500 Palestinian refugee girls and boys in 685 schools. • Improved access to education for girls and boys with special education needs. Health: • Operating 137 primary health care facilities run by approximately 3 330 staff. • Health care services for 5.2 million Palestinian refugees including reproductive health services for women and adolescent girls. • Maintaining and improving quality maternal and child health care services. • Providing access and coverage for primary health care and outreach through Family Health Teams through which health providers give continuing care to families patients and communities. • Providing access to secondary and tertiary hospital care and medications. • Improving and maintaining the quality of sanitation and hygiene infrastructure networks to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. • Immunizing against vaccine-preventable diseases. Social Services: • Skills training microloans advice and education to refugee women to increase their self-reliance through UNRWA’s 61 women’s programme centres. • Employment opportunities for 7 200 vocational training graduates. • Basic shelter and food supplies to alleviate poverty among 290 000 of the poorest and most vulnerable Palestinian refugees.