São Paulo – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is holding a fundraising campaign to provide aid to Palestinian refugees as the harsh winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere. The goal is to raise USD 2 million. Donations will be collected until February 29 and Brazilians can donate in local currency (real) online at www.unrwa.org/shareyourwarmth.
The money raised through the #shareyourwarmth campaign will be spent on shelter repair, food supplies and financial aid to Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon.
The campaign website shows how donations can be spent. USD 15, for instance, is the cost of a blanket for a Palestinian refugee from Syria, USD 91 feeds a family of seven in the West Bank, and USD 150 is the monthly rent of an apartment for a refugee family.
“These funds will help ensure that the most vulnerable Palestine refugees, particularly in Syria and Gaza, have the food and shelter they need to prepare for and cope during the winter months,” said UNRWA Director of External Relations and Communications Uta Böllhoff.
Established in 1949 by the UN General Assembly, UNRWA is tasked with providing assistance and protection to 5 million Palestinian refugees. In May this year, its commissioner general Pierre Krähenbühl travelled to Brazil to meet with government authorities. He seized the occasion to call on more frequent financial collaboration from the country.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
