Four children- two of whom are students in United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) schools- are among those who perished in the massive earthquake that hit northern Syria and Turkey today.
Two other children are reportedly in intensive care because of injuries sustained also during the shattering earthquake. Many continue to be trapped under the rubble. The camps of Lattakia, on the Syrian coast and Nairab, near Aleppo, are the most affected among the country's 12 Palestine refugee camps. Three Palestine refugee houses collapsed in Latakia camp, impacting 25 people.
UNRWA teams are on the ground undertaking assessments. According to initial findings, most UNRWA facilities survived the shocks with minor damage, as they were built with earthquake resistant design.
The Agency's schools in the areas affected will be closed until they are deemed safe, while we resume other services as of tomorrow.
UNRWA is working to continue providing aid, water, sanitation and health-care, including mental health, in response to growing needs. In close cooperation with the UN agencies in Syria, UNRWA is ready to provide shelter to those displaced.
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Syria is home to more than 438,000 Palestine refugees. UNRWA serves them through its network of 23 health centres and 102 schools, where some 49,500 students receive a quality education.
UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency's area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on.
UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
