UN Report that their budget shortfall will dramatically decrease Iraqi refugee assistance - beginning in August

Dear Friends of CRP

It's with heavy heart that we must contemplate ending our worthy work that has helped so many Iraqis whose lives have been so shattered by violence in their country and then displacement. We have been, and continue, to search for a way to continue our work, knowing how vitally needed it is. And now, especially now, as we read the UN report that their budget shortfalls force them to dramatically cut back their assistance to Iraqi refugees in Jordan and Syria that has been the only means of survival for most Iraqi refugees, now we are even more reluctant to end our work here as we know that Iraqis will soon be in crisis with the loss of their UN support.

excerpt from UN report: JORDAN-SYRIA: UNHCR funding shortfall for Iraqi refugees

Who will be affected?

From August financial assistance will "not be sustainable", according to UNHCR. A large chunk of the monthly cash handouts go to the most vulnerable families - female-headed households - and these look likely to be cut back sharply, perhaps even completely, depending on funding. UNHCR will no longer distribute certain non-food items such as nappies and sanitary towels.

UNHCR said it would cut its health funding; and plans to expand programmes of psycho-social care for traumatized Iraqis would be shelved. Funding for vocational training programmes would be reduced. Outreach programmes, which have been especially successful in reaching vulnerable women, would also be negatively affected.

Read full report HERE

We know that we are all suffering from the economic meltdown - we are all insecure now and some of us are floundering ourselves, wondering how we can take care of our own family's needs. We understand that and we at CRP are experiencing this ourselves. And yet we ask that, if you can contribute - even a small amount - please do. Please. If you cannot, please help by spreading the word about our work to others who may be able to help. We cannot give up now. How can we abandon these traumatized and broken people when they cannot care for themselves and when they are losing much of the assistance they have relied on to cover their basic needs? We must not.

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