Middle East Archives

Care of the Military and Their Families Jordan 2022

UMR and Queen Rania Al Abdullah Association 2022

In the presence of UMR’s Jordan advisor Mr. Abdel Kadir Bani Omar, Ms. Alaa Ayoub, UMR’s head of office in Jordan signed an MoU to provide relief services and humanitarian aid to Military personnel and their families in Amman, Jordan. The goal of this MoU is to ensure that the humanitarian needs of military personnel and their family members are not neglected, no matter their current socioeconomic status.

UMR is proud to be providing support to those who served in Jordan and we will keep you in the loop as we begin providing services.

Press Release 5/20/22: Yemen Famine Threat

Millions in Yemen are at threat of deadly famine. The country is suffering from an extreme wheat shortage.

Yemen is facing one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises – the famine threat. It’s due to more than seven years of war, political unrest, and a stagnant economy. Of the 31.18 million people living there, approximately 17.4 million are hungry. This statistics doesn’t even include the ones suffering from disease, malnutrition, and injuries from violence. The situation is only getting worse.

When the war in Ukraine began in late February, Yemen lost over 30% of its wheat imports from Ukraine and Russia. In Yemen, more than 80% of the population already suffers from hunger. So, this was a devastating loss in a country.

Earlier this week, things went from bad to worse when India banned wheat exports entirely. The UN expressed solid concerns for war-torn countries that are already experiencing widespread hunger. Yemen is under an imminent famine threat.

According to a report of the Business Standard, “The US envoy said that Ukraine used to be a breadbasket for the developing world, but ever since Russia started blocking crucial ports and destroying civilian infrastructure and grain silos, hunger situations in Africa and the Middle East are getting even more dire.”

“16 million people in Yemen were already marching towards starvation prior to wheat shortage”, reported by The Guardian. Now, even more will join them.

UMR’s Emergency Plan

UMR has a multi-step approach to bringing immediate relief. We plan to create long-term sustainable solutions to help the people in Yemen.

First, we plan to deliver emergency food aid to the most vulnerable communities. We will focus on the elderly, mothers, children, and persons with disabilities. Our primary consideration is to help Yemen overcome the famine threat.

On a longer-term scale, we plan to rehabilitate the local markets. We will also construct and maintain water points for people and livestock. support local farmers through home gardens, drip irrigation units, and other services. Our ultimate goal is to stimulate the economy and provide sustainable food sources that will help Yemen’s famine threat so that the country can withstand the turmoil it is under.

Emergency In Lebanon 2020

As of August 04, 2020, over 4,000 were injured in the Beirut warehouse explosion. A state of emergency in Lebanon 2020 has been declared. Help is absolutely necessary for Lebanon at this time.

Lebanon Needs Your Help

“Lebanon is at great risk for a food crisis. Both the Human Rights Watch and the World Bank are predicting that over half of Lebanese households may not be able to afford to purchase food by the end of the year. A full collapse of the Lebanese pound has left thousands of Lebanese unemployed, desperate, and hungry. More than 220,000 jobs in the private sector have been lost since mid-October, and the unrest among the people has reached its boiling point.” — Wejdan Jarrah, UMR’s Middle East and North Africa Regional Representative

Lebanon is facing a sharp economic collapse and political unrest. It will take time to fully recover from the explosion. So, they need as much extra help as possible. Your contributions help doctors save lives, feed children, and provide the elderly with pain medication that they can no longer afford.

How UMR will Distribute Donations in Lebanon

Here’s how your contribution to UMR’s emergency campaign will support Lebanon:

Emergency Medical Intervention:

UMR already shipped its first medical shipment by air to Lebanon. Each health kit will help 10,000 people receive medical aid for 3 months. These emergency health kits include vital items such as:

Gauze
Pain medication
Surgical instruments
Gloves
Masks
Sterilizers
Trays and more

Food Intervention:

Lebanon’s economy is not in a good shape. The prices of daily necessities is sky-rocketing.

Some statistics showing the economical crisis of Lebanon in 2020-

The cost of household staples have risen up to nearly 70% — butter now sells for $8.00 USD, powdered milk costs $40.00 USD, and diapers cost up to $43.00 USD
Over 2.2 million people are living in poverty in Lebanon. According to The World Bank, food insecurity numbers reinstate that “poverty levels could reach as high as 50% if the economic situation worsens.”
More than 220,000 jobs in the private sector have been lost since mid-October, and the unrest among the people has reached its boiling point.

UMR has been working in Lebanon for years, providing cash assistance, food parcels, fresh meat, and medical assistance to the poorest areas of the country. Each package of ours typically feeds a family of 5 for an entire month. The items we provide are:

Beans
Rice
Flour
Pasta
Oil
Sugar
Tomato paste and more

Beirut Cleanup:

UMR volunteers are organized on the ground in Beirut to help clean up the city and restore its peace. Cleaning up the debris from the streets is vital for the country to begin to heal.

As the country begins to rebuild after the explosion, Lebanon faces countless roadblocks.

An estimated 300,000 people are now homeless, more than half of the population is facing poverty, and hospitals are operating without electricity as doctors fight to save the thousands of people caught in the explosion. As the spread of COVID-19 overwhelms the region, unemployment rises to over 30%, and overcrowded hospitals oversee mortality rates, Lebanon now finds itself in the middle of a humanitarian disaster.

UMR volunteers on the ground in Beirut to help the city clean up

Rebuilding Beirut:

Our dedicated team has identified and begun construction on apartmentsin Beirut. We are on track to repair 40-50 apartments per week to ensure that families can safely quarantine.

UMR is restoring homes and apartments by rebuilding windows, doors, and more that were shattered in the blast. We are doing this by employing local workers and providing opportunities and jobs to people who need it most. As COVID-19 cases continue to hit historical daily highs in Lebanon, and with winter on the horizon and cold rains threatening to make matters worse, we are ask you to consider making a donation to support our work. One of the victim said,

“It still feels as if it happened yesterday. The exhaustion, the fear every time we hear something loud; the frustration, the worries… it’s still all there, and it will always remain there.

Your donations will allow us to expand and intensify our life-saving efforts for as long as it takes to rebuild this country.”

Click to Read More:

Jasmine Project

6.6 million people have had to flee from the civil war in Syria— almost half of them being women and children. Every part of their lives has changed a lot, but their roles in the community have changed the most. UMR has launched the “Jasmine Project” to empower these women.

As refugees, women have to serve as the main breadwinners and caretakers. They support themselves and their families without community support.

The majority of Syrian women in Jordan have skills in many things. Such as – handicrafts, clothes, school uniforms, soaps, and cosmetic creation and recycling.

Story of Fatima

Fatima* sought refuge in Jordan with her family in 2020. She tried looking for job opportunities. But unfortunately could not join the market due to government restrictions.

UMR has sensitized its network with the private sector, youth, and social entrepreneurs. All of us should work together to solve the social and economic problems that young women in Jordan face. UMR’s Jasmine Program empowers women financially through skills and business training.

UMR aims to teach women how to turn their abilities into marketable skills. This will allow them to survive and prosper. Fatima joined UMR’s Jasmine Project and is now the breadwinner of her family. She is the team leader for the project. She makes enough money each month to support her family. Besides, she helps other women like her.

Direct Impact

225 women will directly benefit from the Jasmine Project, aged 18-50. 80% of them are Syrians, and 20% are Jordanians from Amman.

Indirect Impact

1,125 family members of this project will benefit indirectly. Another 10,000 private and business Jasmine customers will also benefit.

In Future

Jasmine’s future goal is to build its participants’ capacity and accredit its courses. UMR also plans to teach them practical entrepreneurial skills to develop a website. Teach them e-marketing, and visit some international exhibitions so that they can promote Jasmine’s activities as a women-led company.

Jasmine’s training is not limited to community women. But also targets the youth in universities and schools during summer break. The goal is to teach them professional crafts and handicrafts.

You can also see

Jasmine Interview With Lara

Cataract & Hearing Aid Mission

One of the best ways to help people get out of poverty is to treat blindness and deafness. Because some of them can be prevented, like cataracts and bad vision. This is especially true for vulnerable groups like refugees living in temporary housing. UMR has launched a cataract & hearing aid mission for helping them.

Cataract Missions – Life with Blindness

Cataract accounts for 30%-50% of blindness in most African and Asian countries. In impoverished countries, eliminating blindness and repairing vision returns four times the investment. This places eliminating avoidable blindness among the most effective interventions available. Cataract surgeries are life-changing and require no follow-up visits.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) “Cataracts are the primary cause of blindness and visual impairment. It has about 20 million cases and 5 million new cases each year.”

Life With Hearing Loss and Deafness

Loss of hearing can happen for many reasons. Such as –

Genetic Causes,
Complications At Birth,
Certain Infectious Diseases,
Chronic Ear Infections,
The Use Of Particular Drugs,
Exposure To Excessive Noise, and
Aging.

Loss of hearing means that you can’t hear as well as someone with normal hearing. It means that your hearing level is at least 25 dB in both ears. Loss of hearing can happen in one or both ears. This makes it hard to understand words or hear loud noises.

Hard of hearing means hearing loss ranging from mild to severe. Hard-of-hearing people communicate using :

Spoken language,
Hearing aids,
Cochlear implants, and
Other equipment.

Deafness is profound hearing loss. It implies very little or no hearing in an individual. They often use sign language for communication.

60% of hearing loss is because of preventable causes, in children under the age of 15.

1.1 billion individuals are at risk of hearing loss due to exposure to high noise. High risk for ages between 12–35 years.

Over one-third of people over 65 years of age are affected by disabling hearing loss. Greater prevalence in South Asia, Asia Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa.

The current production of hearing aids meets less than 10% of the worldwide need.

UMR Interventions

Since 2016, UMR has sent cataract surgery missions to Kenya, Jordan, and Bangladesh. UMR provides quality medical care to the elderly, disabled, refugees, and vulnerable. Many of them live without family or government support. We have helped them by healing curable blindness. Our kind contributors have funded over 1,000 cataract procedures. In this process, we have collaborated with partner NGOs and Ministries of Health. Our $100-per-eye operations are 100% successful with no problems.

Hearing Aid in Palestine/Jordan

UMR partnered with Community Rehabilitation Centre for the Disabled/Gaza camp (CRCD) – UNRWA. Our aim is to integrate disabled people into their communities. Also, we are trying to improve their living conditions. The center assisted UMR with its local program team and project need assessment. Phonak Jordan performed all medical exams, measurements, and modeling before distributing the hearing devices and gave UMR a considerable discount. It offered 2 years of device maintenance and monitoring in Jordan.

UMR’s Hearing Aid project helps Palestinian refugees in Gaza/Jerash camp and Syrian refugees in random camps in Al-Mafraq. We have helped people with no health benefits and social security numbers.

Lastly

When thousands of people in a community suffer from health issues, it can be nearly impossible for a society to grow and become self-sustainable. At UMR, we believe that in order to improve the quality of life in a community, everyone must have access to primary healthcare. That’s why we have launched this cataract & hearing aid mission.

As we continue our mission to help beneficiaries, we will be providing free cataract surgeries and hearing aids to as many people as possible.

UMR Institute

The UMR Institute is a dynamic organization. It does its business in a variety of institutional settings across the globe. One of the main branches is in the United States. Improving the organization’s capabilities is the primary focus of this group’s efforts.

What is UMR Institute

UMR also functions as an incubator for nonprofits. It develops the next generation of leaders in many fields. The fields include philanthropic, charitable, volunteer, and social entrepreneurship.

Activities

UMRelief Institute’s collaboration with other organizations is a major benefit. This makes the most of the available external resources and instructional materials. This group acts as a think tank for UMR. It supplies excellent research and evidence-based reasons for UMR’s activities.

When it’s important, the UMR Institute will look at what the community needs. It will also look into how social spending might help. It will also give a feasibility analysis and possible funding sources.

There is a very important job for UMRelief Institute. It is to keep track of and study how UMR projects affect the world as a whole. They keep an eye on and study how well different projects are doing.

This Institute gives important information about their successes and failures. After UMR finishes projects, UMR Institute evaluates them thoroughly. This helps them to come up with ideas for more efficient planning for future projects.

Commitment

The UMR Institute is committed to coordinating the work of United Mission of Relief with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). United Nations established these goals as part of its ongoing efforts. The mission is to promote sustainable development globally.

UMR Institute is working tirelessly to bring positive change in the world. Through its work, the UMR Institute hopes to make a contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. It wants to create a better future for future generations.

Conclusion

UMR Institute is a very crucial part of the United Mission for Relief & Development (UMR). Its main job is to research the activities, programs and projects of UMR. Then, design the most efficient future plans for the organization. The goal of this institute is to assist UMR to create a better world.

Potato and Bread Campaign – Lebanon

There is an economic meltdown going on with the wave of the COVID-19 crisis. UMR has gathered its team to ensure food security for Lebanon’s most vulnerable areas at this time. We have started the Potato and Bread Campaign in Lebanon. UMR is distributing bread and potatoes to more than 50,000 families in Tripoli and Saida areas.

Refugees in Lebanon

The population of Lebanon is estimated at 6.83 million in 2020. Lebanon has taken in 1.5 million Syrian and Palestinian refugees since 2011. Refugees make up 30% of the country’s population. The highest concentration per capita of refugees in the world. There is an increase in the number of Lebanese and refugees living below the poverty line in Lebanon.

Economic Disaster

In October 2019, protests against the government all over Lebanon occurred. It leads the country’s economy into a free fall. They are causing a lot of trouble for poor Lebanese and refugees. Thousands of people are angry about government corruption and the economy getting worse. It makes people’s buying power go down and makes poverty worse.

Coronavirus Outbreak

As the crisis gets worse, another crisis, the Coronavirus outbreak, starts to happen. Lebanon was locked down to prevent the coronavirus spread. So, cash-strapped banks have made it difficult for depositors to recover their monies. This is on top of the months of tighter controls that have made it harder for people to get to most of their funds.

Dollar shortages have kept it from getting important goods for months. The number of cases keeps going up every day. Effects are on monthly payments of rent, food insecurity, health and other necessities.

The Coronavirus is spreading and the economy is collapsing again since May 2020. Families can’t afford good food, medicine, and monetary help for this.

Food Crisis

In Lebanon, prices went up by 60% to 300%, and the dollar’s worth reached 4000 LBP on the black market. This made it harder for people to get food. Prices of bread and potatoes are rising, for both the producer and the consumer. 49% of Lebanese worry about getting enough food. 60% of the population depends directly or indirectly on agriculture. The number of poor people in Lebanon went up. Some experts say that violent protests are likely to get worse. Because people’s living standards fall and they need humanitarian aid more than ever.

UMR’s Intervention

To solve the problem of food insecurity, UMR will fund two important projects. Combinedly we are calling them the Potato and Bread Campaign.

One of these is the “Salt and Bread” campaign. It is run by a community-based initiative in partnership with the Akkarouna Foundation and Heads of Municipalities. They are working together to raise money for the “Akkar Emergency Room” idea, which is to make bread in a small bakery in the neighborhood and give it to 2,000 families every day. So far, in its first part, it has helped get 74,900 packs of bread to 37,450 families in Tripoli and Saida.

The Potato Campaign is the second project. Its goal is to encourage farmers to grow potatoes and give potato packs to families. 35,000 people in the Tripoli and Saida areas each got 5 kg. 50% Lebanese and 50% Palestinians. The idea for these projects came from UMR’s mission to help underserved areas and lift people’s spirits in hard times, which is all about sharing our goodness.

Pass The Plate

very year Muslims around the world observe the holy month of Ramadan by fasting from sunrise to sunset. Unfortunately for hundreds of thousands of families, they will not get the chance to spend this spiritual time in a warm home with nutritious food to break their fast. UMR has launched “Pass the Plate” campaign to support them.

“The number of people fleeing war, persecution and conflict exceeded 70 million globally last year – the highest number in the UN refugee agency’s almost 70 years of operations.” – UN

Refugees and displaced people are the most vulnerable people on the planet, suffering daily without sufficient housing, access to medicine, doctors, food, or clean water. As the crisis worsens, more and more people are depending on humanitarian agencies like UMR to fill the gaps.

Each year during Ramadan, UMR delivers food packages filled with nutritious items such as beans, rice, flour, oil, canned goods, and more to reach people that have absolutely nothing. We have spoken with families begging for help, telling our field staff that without these resources, they will die.

“Me and my children are fasting. What will we eat to break our fast? My children are begging me for food and water!”

This Ramadan, these families desperately need your help. Please #PassThePlate to a child in need!

Where We Are Working

Lebanon	Kenya
Jordan	Somalia
Yemen	Sudan
Palestine	Pakistan
Bangladesh	USA

What We Are Providing

We are providing many necessary items to the helpless families. Here are some of them-

Food Baskets

UMR delivers food packages containing items such as rice, flour, sugar, oil, beans, lentils, tomato paste, pasta, bread, and canned goods.

Water & Sanitation

In addition, we will be building water wells in Pakistan, Somalia and Kenya to ensure that some of the poorest communities are able to find clean drinking water, and prevent the spread of diseases.

Orphan Protection

Children are some of the most vulnerable among these already struggling communities. That is why UMR prioritizes the safety and well-being of children and orphans by providing them with healthcare, education, nutrition and a chance at a future.

Iftars

Each year UMR hosts iftar dinners throughout the month of Ramadan. Last year we were able to serve thousands of people in Yemen and Gaza with warm, nutritious meals.

Click Donate Now to See the different programs that you can donate to:

Medical Shipments

The supply chain for medical gifts-in-kind is powerful at UMR. We collaborate with private healthcare companies to get medical supplies. UMR provides disposables like gloves, bandages, and prescription drugs. We also provide tools essential like x-ray and ultrasound machines.

This is an essential instrument for growing the capacity of hospitals. Because it frees up financial resources to hire more doctors. It also lessens the financial burden on patients.

UMR has sent medical shipments to many countries. This includes Yemen, Palestine, Somalia, Sudan, Jordan, and Lebanon. We are still sending containers to underdeveloped nations.

Lebanon

In January 2021, UMR sent two major medical supplies to Lebanon. An international emergency health kit was the first. It was filled with necessary medical supplies. ICU beds were in the second shipment.

The pandemic hurt public hospitals the most. Because private institutions were cutting off so many people. But public hospitals already had very little money. We hoped these shipments would help the medical staff do their jobs better during this hard time.

Jordan

UMR is working with a field office in Jordan to send medical shipments to Syrian refugees. This is to help the number of refugees from Syria improve. We are delivering medicine to help both long-term and short-term health problems. We give basic medical tools. Syringes, aluminum canes, crutches, hip arthroscopy kits, oxygen masks, surgical packs, and more.

The governorates of Zarqa and Mafraq in Jordan have services to offer. In 2018, UMR and IMANA provided basic health care to 6,500 people. Most of them were Syrian and Palestinian refugees. We want to help at least 10,000 people this time in Jordan.

Sudan

Many health facilities in Sudan can not provide patients with proper care. Because they have insufficient medical equipment and supplies.

UMR has been delivering essential medical shipments to Sudan for many years. Our goal is to enhance the overall healthcare system of this country.

Yemen

The United Nations estimates that Yemen needs about $3.9 billion. This amount will aid the millions of people who are affected by the seven-year conflict.

According to Aljazeera, more than 15,000 people had to leave their homes in December 2021. Because the military war in Yemen is growing. More than 350 people were killed or hurt. The poorest country in the Arab world is now facing more hunger and an economic collapse.

UMR is still planning to help Yemen with emergency aid, like food and medical goods.

Palestine

According to Human Rights Watch, “Israeli officials destroyed 666 Palestinian homes and other buildings in the West Bank.” It happened for the first eight months of 2021. Bombs killed hundreds of people, hurt thousands and destroyed hospitals. Many of you stepped up to help Palestine get through this terrible time.

Because of your kindness, UMR sent 5 Interagency Emergency Health Kits (IEHK). We delivered them to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. It happened on December 26, 2021. These kits were sent to hospitals and medical centers all over the country.

The 5 IEHKs were able to help 50,000 people. They were full of things like trauma supplies, surgery tools, medicine, and more.

Conclusion

UMR has been providing medical shipments in many other countries along with these countries. We want to create a world where nobody will lose their life due to medical supplies shortage. We need all of your help to establish this dream. Join UMR with our sacred journey of giving medical care to the underprivileged people.

iFuture

More than 28,000 Palestinian refugees live in Irbid refugee camp, one of four camps established in Jordan as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. The camp quickly became a new home to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who flee their homes due to the ongoing Syrian civil war. According to the FaFo report of 2013, about 31% of Palestine refugees in Irbid camp have an income below the national poverty line. Almost 80 Jordanian schools – most of them in the poor governorates (counties) in the north – have introduced two daily school sessions to cope with the influx of Syrians that have stretched Jordan’s public resources to breaking point, including health and education. Many are beginning to grumble about the strain on their hospitals and schools.

Dropouts and retention are on the rise between school children in Irbid camps. In addition to the socio-economic conditions that force families and children to resort to negative coping mechanisms like early marriage and mis-prioritizing work over education. Another significant challenge is the lack of introducing interpersonal and social skills to school children and refugees for the advancement of life skills and psychosocial growth.

UMR’s iFuture project aims to resolve challenges regarding education and the overall progress of the child’s social and intellectual health. UMR hopes to empower children by providing them with education, interpersonal skills, and leadership skills. UMR will use an electronic and digital platform (Electronic Library) for teaching students who each one of them will have his/her tablet to access online lessons designed by the community coaches.

UMR designed iFuture in line with the Sustainable Development Goal.4: To ensure inclusive, equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all and the MoE strategic plan for lifelong learning and non-formal education.

The project targets 100 orphan children (50% girls and 50% boys, 30% Syrians and 70% Jordanians-Palestinians, aged 7-16) 20% of them are dropped out of schools to join the market, and 80% have poor school performance due to socio-economic conditions. Therefore, financial support will be provided to refugee families with monthly cash assistance for 12 months to accommodate school and life cost challenges. To sustain the project, UMR will link families with other financial assistance systems through its cooperation with UNHCR, UNRWA and MoSD, and INGOs in Irbid. UMR will provide children with mentors, psychosocial and awareness sessions, sports, games, and other activities to help the physical and mental development of a child.

[1] http://www.dpa.gov.jo/page.php?85-85

[2]https://www.unrwa.org/where-we-work/jordan/irbid-camp

Middle East

UMR’s Emergency Plan

Lebanon Needs Your Help

How UMR will Distribute Donations in Lebanon

Emergency Medical Intervention:

Food Intervention:

Some statistics showing the economical crisis of Lebanon in 2020-

Beirut Cleanup:

Rebuilding Beirut:

Story of Fatima

Direct Impact

Indirect Impact

In Future

Cataract Missions – Life with Blindness

Life With Hearing Loss and Deafness

UMR Interventions

Hearing Aid in Palestine/Jordan

Lastly

What is UMR Institute

Activities

Commitment

Conclusion

Refugees in Lebanon

Economic Disaster

Coronavirus Outbreak

Food Crisis

UMR’s Intervention

Where We Are Working

What We Are Providing

Food Baskets

Water & Sanitation

Orphan Protection

Iftars

Lebanon

Jordan

Sudan

Yemen

Palestine

Conclusion

Bridging communities together

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