Many Palestinian camps’ residents have complained over their deteriorated living situation following the ongoing reduction of services by UNRWA that included the sectors of health, education, relief, and services affairs.

Deeb Shareef, a prominent figure at Al-Wihdat Camp criticized UNRWA for the reduction in the volume of rations and relief materials the organization is offering refugees as most of camps’ residents depended on them due to the spread poverty and unemployment at the camp, according to Deeb.

Shareef mentioned the crisis of lacking studying books faced by the UNRWA at the beginning of this studying year, when most of parents had to go to governmental school’s stores to provide their sons with the needed books to study. Deeb added that some students did not get their books until one and a half month ago.

The problem of the reduced UNRWA services at the educational sector did not stop at books, Omar Amreyeh, the president of Karmel Club in Hettin Camp has complained over the crowded classrooms due to not building any new schools to receive the new comers of students.

In Gaza Camp, you can see the problem of the educational sector in a crystal clear vision. Mohammad Siyam, an activist, speaks about the ‘quick classrooms’ which are the classrooms that have wandering students who have no rooms for their classes. This problem, according to Siyam, has been solved temporarily, yet, we are afraid to witness it next year.

As for the health sector, camps residents face crowded health centres and small numbers of doctors that force elderly to wait for long hours in order to get a medical, according to Sami Bugheish, another Wihdat Camp prominent figures.

Mahmoud Amashi of Hettin Camp pointed as well at the suspension of motherhood nutrition department at health centres despite the need of pregnant women for such program.

Matar Saqer, UNRWA spokesperson has responded to this by saying that financing of UNRWA does not grow in the same way refugee society does. This, in turn, lead to the lack in the quality of services provided that some would interpret as reduction in services. 2010 budget reached JD103m with USD60 as expenditure rate per refugee annually. This amount is much less than that in the 1980s that was USD220.

Saqer stressed on UNRWA’s need for JD200m to fill in the gap between services standards that UNRWA provides and that of the host country.

UNRWA spokesperson also reiterated that this year’s budget is better than that of 2010 that suffered a USD100m deficit in compare with USD60m deficit expected this year. We have now an existed imagination for the size of donations we expect from donor countries in addition to the various tours the Higher Commissioner is paying to collect additional fund for the UNRWA.

In what has to do with regards to what has been rumoured that the UNRWA is finalizing its work in the kingdom to hand over its tasks to the host country in order to settle refugees, Saqer said that these are only rumours and that all countries are aware of the important role of the organization and has not yet reach this level where they are convinced that UNRWA’s role has came to an end.

UNRWA has been founded in 1948 as a result of the Arab – Israeli conflict by the decision of the UN General Assembly for the purpose of providing direct relives for Palestinians and to get them work. This organization has started its tasks on ground in May 1^st 1950.

In light of absence for the problems Palestinians are facing, the General Assembly is all time renewing UNRWA’s mandate, the last of which expires on 30 June 2011.