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UN initiative brings Iraqis and Jordanians together during Ramadan |
| Theallineed.com |
Since the beginning of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, the United Nations refugee agency has distributed free meals every evening to more than 800 Iraqi refugees and needy locals in Jordan.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and its partners are trying to assist in various areas, including nutrition, health and education. The Ramadan soup kitchens are one way to ensure that people are getting a daily meal and honouring traditional Islamic practice.
"The Ramadan tents and meal distribution show the increase in the level of vulnerability among Iraqis, but also among Jordanians who are being affected by the large presence of Iraqis," said Imran Riza, UNHCR's representative in Jordan. He said the locals needed to be helped too.
Some among the estimated 750,000 Iraqi refugees in Jordan have financial resources and are self-sufficient, but even greater numbers are running out of money and valuables to trade, according to UNHCR, which warned in a news release that they are finding it hard to make ends meet and to feed themselves.
The needs of these vulnerable Iraqi refugees have put an enormous strain on already overstretched public services in Jordan. The situation is the same in neighbouring Syria, where some 1.4 million Iraqis have fled, and in other host countries, which need international help to cope with the unexpected pressure, the agency said.
The Iraqi refugees who spoke to UNHCR were all grateful to Jordan, but many said their lives here were becoming increasingly difficult. Saib, who fled Baghdad last year after he was threatened, thanked Jordan for offering a safe haven.
"However, my daughter is always ill here, I have no job and my other daughter refuses to study or attend school anymore," he said. "Life is becoming too difficult here and I can no longer face my family. Sometimes I don't have money to feed them anymore and I feel lost," he added.
Saib is among more than 4 million people who have been uprooted from their homes in Iraq. The UN refugee agency estimates that more than 2.2 million have taken refuge overseas, including the hundreds of thousands in Jordan.
UNHCR has started a monthly food distribution for more than 1,500 Iraqi families in Amman and will soon extend this to Zarqa and Irbid. Meanwhile, UNHCR and sister agencies last month issued an appeal for $84.8 million to help host countries meet the health and nutrition needs of Iraqi refugees.
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| Quotes | Heres tae the fool on the hill and his pals that are down in the valley.- Wolfstone, Glass and the Can
He thought the formula for water was H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O (H-to-O).
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