On the first day of Ramadan, UNRWA launched the digital fundraising campaign "Rebuild Hope with your Zakat" to shed light on the needs of Palestine Refugees across the region and the ability of UNRWA to reach the most vulnerable communities during a month that Muslims consider “the month of giving”. 

The campaign aims to mobilize donors around the world to support Palestine Refugees, especially those donors who wish to donate through the unique UNRWA Zakat programme.

UNRWA said the Zakat programme assures donors that their contributions are distributed directly to Palestine Refugees within one year of collection. This is in line with zakat rules that require this mandatory charitable donation to be given by all adult Muslims within every Islamic year (also known as the lunar year). 

Throughout the campaign, UNRWA will share first-hand testimonies from Palestine Refugees across digital platforms. Their stories amplify the refugees’ concerns, hopes, dreams and aspirations to live in dignity.  

Palestine Refugees are living through yet another extremely difficult year amid multiple and often extraordinary challenges, the most recent of which is the devastating earthquake that struck northern Syria last month. They continue to be among the most vulnerable communities in the world, facing needs unparalleled in decades.

Most Palestine Refugees now live in poverty, increasingly relying on humanitarian assistance from UNRWA for their sheer survival and, quite often, to bring food to the table.

“The blessed month of Ramadan has always been a time for contemplation of faith and a celebration of family,” said UNRWA Director of External Relations and Communications Tamara Alrifai.  “In the last few years, with soaring poverty levels across the region, it has become increasingly difficult for Palestine Refugee families to make ends meet, let alone enjoy the special atmosphere and family meals during Ramadan. We at UNRWA spare no effort to provide humanitarian assistance to all Palestine Refugees throughout the year.   During the holy month of Ramadan, we particularly rely on the compassion of the greater community, especially those who wish to give to the refugees through their zakat so that no family, no child, needs to go hungry this month,” she added.

In Syria, 40 percent of Palestine refugees remain in protracted displacement. The humanitarian crisis is at its worst level since the conflict began over 12 years ago;

The devastating earthquake that struck northern Syria on 6 February affected nearly 47,000 Palestine Refugees in Aleppo, Latakia, Jableh and Hama.  More than 2,300 continue to be displaced.  

In Lebanon, almost every Palestine refugee (or 93 per cent of people) lives below the poverty line.

In Gaza, over 80 per cent of the population is dependent on humanitarian assistance; The West Bank has seen the sharpest increase in violence in more than 15 years; Jordan hosts the largest number of Palestine Refugees in the region, including around 19,000 Palestine refugees from Syria. Nearly 90 per cent of young PRS are unemployed.

In Gaza, UNRWA provides food assistance to some 1.14 million Palestine refugees; in Syria, UNRWA distributes cash assistance to some 400,000 Palestine refugees;  in Lebanon, UNRWA provides cash assistance to 300,000 Palestine Refugees; in Jordan, UNRWA has become the primary source of income for nearly 80 per cent of Palestine Refugees from Syria (PRS); and in the   West Bank, nearly 40,000 vulnerable individuals in Bedouin and herder communities get for food assistance and over 20,000 abject poor receive cash assistance.