Mercy USA for Aid and Development has contributed a generous donation to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to benefit some 500 visually impaired Palestine refugee students at the Rehabilitation Center for the Visually Impaired (RCVI) in Gaza.

The Centre offers rehabilitation, education, eye screenings and academic integration programs to children aged between 4-12 years who live with varying degrees of visual impairment. RCVI, which is the only center of its kind in the Gaza Strip, has been operated by UNRWA for the last 55 years.

“I love my school,” says 7-year-old Mohammed Alwan, who dreams of one day becoming a doctor. “It’s not easy to be a blind child. I want to learn, play, dream and enjoy my life equally with all children across the world. RCVI is the only place in Gaza that gives me the opportunity to access education.”

Like many children at the Centre, Alwan was born blind. However, as a primary student at the RCVI, he and his peers are provided with education and rehabilitation services that are tailored to each child’s specific conditions. Children with severely impaired visual acuity receive training on Braille with the aid of assistive devices like the Perkins writing machine. Low-vision students also receive specially tailored education courses aimed at helping them fully-integrate into regular public or private schools by the sixth grade.

Despite the Agency’s ongoing funding shortfall, UNRWA remains committed to helping more than 532,000 Palestine refugee girls and boys reach their full development potential through its inclusive education programs across 709 schools.

This Mercy-USA intervention will provide crucial funding for specialized instructors, an optometrist, and dozens of eyeglasses for students. Additionally, funds from the US-based organization will help cover the cost of recreational activities designed to give these special children a sense of normalcy despite their challenges.

Mercy-USA is a humanitarian organization focused on alleviating human suffering and supporting individuals and their communities in their efforts to become self-sufficient. Launched in 1988 in Michigan, Mercy-USA supports dozens of health, nutrition and education programs worldwide. This is its second donation to the RCVI.

For 70 years, UNRWA has delivered effective and reliable humanitarian support to Palestine refugees. The Agency’s services include free health care and education, food and cash assistance and microcredit loans to 5.5 million Palestine refugees facing extreme hardship in Jordan, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank.

Mercy USA for Aid and Development has contributed a generous donation to the UNRWA to benefit some 500 visually impaired Palestine refugee students at the Rehabilitation Center for the Visually Impaired (RCVI) in Gaza. Background Information: UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the UNRWA programme budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall. UNRWA encourages all Member States to work collectively to exert all possible efforts to fully fund the Agency’s programme budget.

UNRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large shortfalls, are funded through separate funding portals. UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.4 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA across its five fields of operation. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:

Sami Mshasha Director of Communications, Arabic Language Spokesperson Mobile: +972 (0)54 216 8295

Office: +972 (0)258 90724

Email: s.mshasha@unrwa.org (link sends e-mail)

Tamara Alrifai

UNRWA Spokesperson

Mobile: +962 (0)79 090 0140

Email: T.ALRIFAI@UNRWA.ORG (link sends e-mail)