Washington, D.C. | www.adc.org | March 8, 2018 | Trump’s malicious decision to cut $300 million in U.S. aid to UNRWA is an existential crisis for the organization serving Palestinian refugees. For the first time in recent history, the U.S. government is withholding humanitarian relief to achieve a political objective: strong-arming the Palestinians to capitulate to interminable Israeli occupation.
What UNRWA provides:
- 700 schools serving 525,000 students; the equivalent of the 3rd largest U.S. school system
- 142 clinics serving 3.5 million patients and 9 million visitors
- 70% of Gaza’s population is served by UNRWA
- Emergency assistance to 1.7 million individuals
- Employs 33,000 Palestinian refugees
No other UN agency or international organization, or even host government, can absorb UNRWA’s services. Trump’s $300 million cut could force UNRWA to lay off teachers, close schools, and drastically reduce medical and emergency food assistance. Already UNRWA has been forced to increase classroom sizes to 50 students. When children are denied a decent education – and UNRWA schools outperform host countries – the social environment begins to deteriorate, and it is not easy to turn back the tide.
U.S. disengagement and the lack of U.S. leadership has not resulted in increased funding from other donor countries. This is why UNRWA has launched a campaign to enlist everyday people who care about the life and well-being of Palestinian refugees to donate whatever they can because DIGNITY IS PRICELESS.
SUPPORT UNRWA IN ITS TIME OF NEED
ADC is proud to support UNRWA and we encourage our members to help the organization during this tough time and ensure that the needs of Palestinian refugees remain at the forefront of our community’s priorities.