UNRWA FUNDING CRISIS LEAVES PALESTINIAN REFUGEES IN LEBANON WITH FEWER SERVICES

Palestinian refugees in Lebanon are facing reduced access to education and healthcare as funding shortages force UNRWA to cut services.

The UN agency says it needs an additional $70 million to $80 million for 2026. It has reduced service hours by 20 per cent since February, while many schools have shortened their teaching week from five days to four.

More than 35,000 pupils attend its 58 schools in Lebanon. Families in Beirut’s Bourj el-Barajneh camp say overcrowded classrooms are making learning increasingly difficult.

Doumoua al-Baitan, a mother of four, said she now spends $200 a month on extra lessons for two children—the same amount she pays in rent.

“My kids cannot retain what they are taught in class,” she said.

Healthcare has also suffered. UNRWA’s June emergency report said only 15 of its 26 primary healthcare centres and clinics were operating.

The shortages have compounded existing hardship among Lebanon’s approximately 230,000 Palestinians, many of whom live in refugee camps and lack citizenship.

Restrictions on access to several professions already limit employment opportunities, leaving families particularly vulnerable when assistance declines.

Undocumented refugees and Palestinians who fled Syria face additional difficulties. A change to Lebanese residency policies in 2024 has left many exposed to detention and greater obstacles to employment and education.

Residents and community organisations also report growing concerns about crime, drug use and violence amid unemployment and worsening poverty.

The Jafra Foundation warned that UNRWA’s financial shortfall threatens essential services, including healthcare, education, water and sanitation, across the agency’s areas of operation.

The continuing US funding freeze is among the pressures affecting the agency’s ability to support refugee communities.