UNRWA, EU celebrate three years of shelter

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, held a ceremony at the Burj Shemali camp to celebrate three years of co-operation to improve the living and health conditions of Palestine refugees in Lebanon through rehabilitation works with the support of the European Union, EU.

The project, ‘Improvement of Housing and Health Conditions of the Most Vulnerable Palestine Refugees in Lebanon,’ funded by the EU with EUR400,000, helped rehabilitate over 440 shelters in nine out of the 12 camps in Lebanon. This has ensured that the beneficiary families are able to live in safe and healthy shelters. The project also entailed rehabilitation works in three health centres in Saida, Ein El Hilweh and Burj Shemali camps.

The Deputy Director of UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon, Gwyn Lewis, said, "Today, I would like to recognise the hard work and achievements of this project as we stand inside the rehabilitated Burj Shemali Health Centre, a health centre that, prior to its rehabilitation, was struggling to cope with the needs of the camp’s population.

"I look forward to the continuation and, indeed, development of this partnership between the UNRWA, the EU, and the other partners on the ground, supporting the basic human needs of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon," she added.

In addition to the rehabilitation work, the EU support allowed the three health centres to adopt the Family Health Team approach, which focusses on the comprehensive history of the patient, rather than treating the specific ailment, thus providing a more person-centred approach to their healthcare needs.

Source: Wam