Two youngsters wrapped up against the cold at the Za’atri camp reception centre. They are from the western Syrian city of Homs.
UNHCR / G. Beals
ZA'ATRI REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan, November 14 (UNHCR) – The deserts that mark the border between Syria and Jordan are covered in a sea of muddy slop. Slanting rain and hail have made the passage of trucks an ordeal. Sometimes the trail is so bad that transport is impossible.
And so Syrian refugees from cities such as Homs, Idlib and Dara'a, as well as rural Damascus, make the crossing on foot. Some slog through in shoes; many cross barefoot and without coats as the chilly weather of winter approaches.
For most, the rain is just a distraction in the search for a haven from the war raging on the Syrian side of the border. "I would rather have rain than bombs," said 28-year-old Fahad, who worked as a driver in Homs before deciding to flee the increasing violence.
With Syria well into its third year of conflict, UNHCR and its partners are working against the clock to deliver the needed supplies for another winter. Weather forecasts are predicting a particularly harsh one. The agency and its partners are aware that even in a mild winter, the grinding toll of nearly three years of destruction would make life miserable.
"In Idlib, there is no gas, no bread no milk," said Khalid, aged 18. "My country is a place of suffering and I don't think people will be able to survive another winter."
For the government of Jordan, UNHCR and its partners, the logistical challenge of getting refugees from the deserts to camps is an increasing challenge. Army helicopters now fly food into the border areas that are impossible to reach by truck. Some refugees have left luggage behind, because the priority for the few trucks that manage the terrible road trip is to take people over cargo.
UNHCR Representative to Jordan Andrew Harper says that the organization and its partners are ready in both Za'atri Refugee Camp and in Jordan's cities to provide all that is needed to survive the cold season. UNHCR and its partners are busy distributing packages of winter clothing, some 600,000 items in total, donated by Japanese retail giant, Uniqlo, for needy families.
A freighter carrying a consignment of Toms Shoes is bound for Jordan and will dock in a few days in the southern Jordanian port of Aqaba. Caravans are being allocated to Za'atri residents who are still living in tents. Already 485,000 blankets have been distributed since the camp opened last year.
But just as important are the access roads along which the Jordanian authorities transport refugees who have crossed the border. UNHCR is working to ensure that more than 60 kilometres of roads are repaired or constructed.
"In many ways road construction represents a key protection priority for us," says Harper. "We're working to ensure that the roads are constructed so that people can make it from the border to safer areas."
Throughout the region, UNHCR and its partners are working to ensure that refugees will survive the winter. In Lebanon, UNHCR and partners will provide such goods as stove heaters, blankets and money for fuel to 90,000 families, or roughly 450,000 people.
In northern Iraq, UNHCR and partners are providing some 200,000 Syrian refugees with the means to survive sub-zero temperatures during the winter months. Prefabricated shower blocks will be constructed so that families will have warm water. UNHCR's medical partners are busy strengthening the health surveillance.
In Za'atri, refugees are also taking preparations for winter into their own hands. Along the roadside, vendors sell used winter clothing and shoes at bargain prices. People are digging trenches near their caravans and building up rubble and dirt mounds near their tents or caravan homes to protect against the rain.
UNHCR is also helping urban refugees and others living outside camps to get through the winter. The refugee agency provides monthly cash assistance to some 75,000 vulnerable Syrians through an agreement with the Cairo Amman Bank, which helps to disburse a monthly cash allowance. Beginning this month, the level of assistance is being increased to cover the costs of blankets, fuel and winter clothing.
By Greg Beals in Za'atri Refugee Camp, Jordan
Walter Valdez, a 33-year-old waiter, lost his wife and three children when the typhoon hit Tacloban. Two of his children are missing.
UNHCR/R. Rocamora
CEBU, Philippines, November 15 (UNHCR) – Jane Ilagan knew something was wrong when she tasted the "salty rain." The storm surge that accompanied Typhoon Haiyan in the early hours of November 8 drenched her home with seawater and made her family flee to higher ground. Even there, the water came up to her chest.
"For seven hours until the water receded, we had to lift the kids up so they wouldn't be soaked. It was very cold and their lips were turning black," said the 33-year-old mother of one from Guiuan. The municipality is located in the central Philippines province of Eastern Samar, where the devastating typhoon first made landfall.
"Everyone who lives close to the [Guiuan] coastline is dead," Ilagan said. "I'm just happy to be alive." The UN estimates that 11.8 million people were affected by the disaster, including more than 920,000 made homeless. The government says more than 3,600 deaths had been reported as of Thursday, but the actual number was likely to be higher.
Walter Alvarez almost joined the death toll. The 23-year-old resident of Tacloban, one of the worse-hit areas, found his wife, daughter and mother-in-law's bodies after the flooding eased. Two children are still missing. He survived by holding onto a coconut tree, squeezing it so tight, he cut his arms and legs. A week later, the scabs are healing slowly.
But his heart is still raw. "I cannot stand the pain and trauma of staying in Tacloban," he said, explaining why he decided to board the C130 aid delivery flight run by the military to Cebu a few days ago.
Both Walter and Jane were among dozens at a transit centre in Cebu for people evacuated by air from the typhoon-affected areas. Here they are registered and given cooked food and clothes donated by the community. They sleep in the centre or the garden outside, and queue up for the two bathrooms available.
Some have found their own way, but many are waiting for a chance to go to the Philippines capital, Manila.
Jane said her extended family left Guiuan because the coconut trees had all collapsed. For people who rely on these trees to weave mats for a living, losing them meant losing their livelihood – and time to look elsewhere for the means to survive.
"We don't have money to go to Manila by ourselves," said Jane, who has been at the Cebu transit centre with her extended family since last Saturday. "We hope we can get a ride with a humanitarian plane going there."
Walter sighs: "I don't know how to go on alone. I plan to go to Manila and restart my life. Maybe one day when I'm better, I'll go back to Tacloban."
UNHCR is working in Cebu to coordinate the logistical supply of relief items for typhoon survivors. It is airlifting emergency tents and non-food supplies for 80,000 people. It is also planning to distribute solar-powered lamps to enhance the safety of women and children at risk. Co-leading the protection cluster with the government under the inter-agency response to this natural disaster, UNHCR also provides protection coordination and delivery, identifying the most vulnerable people and ensuring their access to basic aid and services.
By Vivian Tan in Cebu, Philippines
Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel & Conference Center
2 Meadowlands Plaza
East Rutherford, New Jersey 07073, USA
Phone:(201) 896-0500
Children in Prayer Global Consultation
- November 15-18
International Prayer Initiative for the United Nations
- November 18-20
International Prayer Initiative for the United Nations November 18-20, New York City and East Rutherford, New Jersey In connection with the UN Universal Children’s Day our theme and focus will be “Children and Youth: Investing in the Future”
Since its inception, the United Nations has been on a mission to ensure that all people have hope for the future. Whether in peacemaking, food production efforts or education, the goal has always been a better world for future generations.
The children and youth of the world represent our future. Actually, children are the future. When the U.N. established the eight Millennium Development Goals, in 2000, the central idea was a safer, more secure future for our children. Many organizations and churches are also deeply involved in sharing Christ’s love through helping to improve the lives of children worldwide.
As the end of the 15-year MDG window approaches, and as governments, agencies and civil society assess and report, one thing will be clear: There is still so much more to be done!
In recognition of the need for global partnerships and in support of the work of the United Nations' efforts to serve the children and youth of the world, a global consortium of Christian organizations will convene in New York City on November 18-20, 2013 along with prayer and ministry leaders as well as praying children and youth.
In conjunction with Universal Children's Day, November 20, the goals of this gathering are:
1. To engage partners from Christian NGOs around the world in a more focused effort to better the lives of children.
2. To seek God together in prayer for His help, guidance and transformation for the youth and children of our world.
3. To express support for the work of the United Nations and member states in their endeavors to create a more hopeful future for the children of the world.
4. To connect U.N. personnel and diplomats with leaders from Christian non-governmental organizations and other ministries for mutual benefit and greater collaborative action on behalf of children and youth.
We hope you will be able to take part in this strategic and crucial initiative in New York City. We will hear heart-gripping presentations by various organizations on the situation of youth and children and respond with times of concerted prayer and deliberation. Through setting up a booth and/or personal interaction, you will also be able to share your organization’s work on behalf of children with ambassadors, UN officials, other Christian
NGOs as well as with hundreds of ministry leaders, youth and children from around the world.
You are warmly welcomed to register here by September 1. However, space will be limited at the UN so please respond as soon as possible to hold your spot. International or out of town participants are urged to arrive no later than November 18 afternoon and stay together at the Sheraton Meadowlands Hotel for which we have negotiated the best possible rate for you. You can reserve your room at this link.
Our program will begin on November 18 with dinner together at 6 pm followed by an introductory session of worship, prayer, briefing and sharing. The initiative will conclude on the 20th after the evening session at the hotel at 9 pm. Please book your flights to depart on November 21.
For more information or to give any suggestions you may have, please contact the International Prayer Council office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call our administrator, Cheryl Sharps at 1 505 4007437.
UN Initiative Planning Team:
Geoff Tunnicliffe and Deborah Fikes, World Evangelical Alliance
John Austin, Christian Embassy
Joel Edwards, Micah Challenge
Roberta Hromas and Mark Pritchett, American Christian Trust
Ian Cole, World Prayer Centre
Jody Wood, New York Intercessors
John Robb, International Prayer Council
“Children and Youth - Investing in the Future: A Time to Pray and Partner for
Action at the United Nations”
Program Schedule
November 18
Participants arrive and proceed to the hotel
7:00 pm Welcome and Opening Gathering
Worship
Introductions of different country delegations
Briefing
Prayer together for the initiative
November 19
7:00-8:30 am Breakfast
9:00-9:30 am Worship
9:30-12:30 pm Session 1
12:30- 2:30 pm Lunch, Rest, Recreation
2:30-5:30 pm Session 2
6:00-7:00 pm Dinner
7:00- 9:00 pm Session 3
November 20- Universal Children’s Day at the United Nations
6:30 am Early bus to the UN
7:30-9:30 am Breakfast, presentations on children and youth, and prayer with UN
officials, ambassadors and NGO representatives (UN Delegates’ Dining Room)
10:00 am Session 4 (UN Conference Room)
12:00-1:30 pm Lunch at UN and possible UN tour for those who would like it.
1:30-3:30 pm Session 5
4:00 pm Bus departs for hotel
6:00 pm Dinner
7:00-9:00 pm Final Session- Where do we go from here?
Discussion of future steps with farewells and prayer for one another
November 21
Breakfast on your own schedule
Departures to the area airports for most
(IPC and CiP leaders meet for a day of prayer and planning from 10:00 to 5:00 pm)
TANAUAN, Philippines, November 18 (UNHCR) – Evelyn Quisaba (dressed in pink) has lived by the sea most of her life, but now it gives her nightmares. Every night the 53-year-old housewife sits on the ruins of her home, listening as the waves crash against the shore. The louder ones send her running for cover.
But she is among the luckier ones. Thousands of people were killed when Typhoon Haiyan swept through the central Philippines in the early hours of November 8. Evelyn and her family survived the high winds and storm surges because they had been evacuated to a gymnasium in advance.
When they returned to their home in San Roque, 45 minutes' drive from Tacloban City in Leyte province, they found only the kitchen counter standing against a flattened seascape. "I was so shocked, I cried and cried," recalled Evelyn.
Within days, the family built a makeshift shack around the kitchen counter using pieces of cardboard and wood salvaged from the rubble around them. The tiny hut is clearly overcrowded for an extended family with 15 people.
"Not everyone can lie down at the same time, so we take turns sleeping. Some of us just sit and doze off if we can. This is not ideal for my daughter-in-law, who will give birth any day now," she said.
Thankfully they still have some food, but otherwise they live on scavenged materials, including clothes they find on the streets and wash before wearing.
UNHCR recently visited this ravaged community on the coast of eastern Leyte to assess their needs and distribute relief items trucked in from the agency's stocks in Mindanao, further south. Some 7,000 people received supplies in the form of plastic sheets, blankets, mosquito sets and cooking utensils.
"The roof leaks when it rains. So I asked for plastic sheets, so the water will stop dripping and we can sleep better," said Evelyn. "This is what we really need. I think this is the most important thing for my family now, so we can have a good sleep."
The plastic sheeting has also allowed her to expand her living space into a covered patio where she cooks and washes clothes. Beside the shack, her son is building more shelters for the large family.
Right beside the sea, another family has set up home beside the remnants of their house. Under a UNHCR tarpaulin, two young mothers sit with their newborns, hiding from the harsh weather that fluctuates between the brutal sun and rain.
"The sheet keeps the rain out, and my husband is building a new house outside," said Brenda Vincito, 20, nursing her baby. She admits the waves scare her, but said they have nowhere else to go. Evelyn, meanwhile, has heard that the government plans to set up a temporary site with UNHCR tents. "I will move there as soon as it is ready," she said, eyeing the sea warily.
To date, the UN refugee agency has distributed relief items to some 15,000 typhoon survivors in the Tanauan and Tacloban areas. It is expanding aid distribution to other affected areas from new humanitarian hubs in Ormoc, on the western coast of Leyte, and Guiuan in Eastern Samar province where the typhoon first made landfall.
As part of the inter-agency emergency response, UNHCR is also supporting the government with protection monitoring and delivery.
By Vivian Tan in San Roque, Philippines
This map shows how many children have fled Syria for Lebanon (385,007), Jordan (291,238), Turkey (294,304), Iraq (77,125), North Africa (7,629) and Egypt (56,154) (As of 31st October 2013). Note that the numbers reflect children who have registered with UNHCR in these countries. The actual number of child refugees is higher, as not all children and families register.
To learn more about Syrian refugee children in Jordan and Lebanon, explore, share and download The Future of Syria: Refugee Children in Crisis at www.unhcr.org/futureofsyria #FutureOfSyria
Last week, over 300 brothers and sisters in Christ from approximately 40 nations came together in the New York City area to pray for the children and youth of our world and for the efforts of the United Nations to help them. Our theme was "Children and Youth: Investing in the Future". Two unique and historic events - the Children in Prayer global consultation and the United Nations prayer initiative- both meeting end to end during the same week, carried that theme through all their sessions.
Here are some of the high points of both events:
- Hearing stirring and insightful presentations from our many gifted presenters.
- Praying with the children and youth participants over a huge inflatable globe for the nations and also an explosive spread of the Children in Prayer movement to the ends of the earth.
- Watching the kids being kids, having fun together and sometimes squirming on a large map of the world as they tried to concentrate fully. They also prayed, danced and shared moving words from the Lord with us during "Time with Abba".
- Stimulating workshops and regional sessions for both kids and adults as well as time spent in a specially decorated 24/7 prayer room.
- An affirming Skype call with Esther Ilnisky, "mother of the CiP movement".
- Strategic planning sessions and excursions to the Empire State Building to pray over New York and a tour of the U.N. to bless that complex, its personnel and efforts.
- Being challenged about the Next Generation and the possibility of a World Youth Prayer Assembly in 2015 or 2016.
- Hearing the testimony of one Korean church in New York that is impacting hundreds of thousands of children through inviting them to soccer games in stadia in several nations.
- Eating breakfast together in the U.N. Delegates Dining Room with ambassadors and U.N. staff to hear about the needs of children and youth; and to be led by children and youth in prayer for the Millennium Development Goals and by virtuoso students of Itzhak Perlman who played their violin and viola masterfully.
- Anointed worship of the Lord with all our hearts in the very heart of the United Nations.
- Praying there in the U.N. for a whole day, strongly and in agreement for the issues of youth and children- for orphans, those caught in trafficking, those in need of health, education, and employment, children trapped in war and refugee situations such as Syria, etc. You can see the 10 am session on November 20 inside the UN on this UN webcast link:
http://webtv.un.org/watch/the-united-nations-prayer-initiative/2859713384001/
- Fellowship with one another over meals and praying for one another's lives and ministries before departing.
Many said their lives and ministries were affected deeply and that they now intended to focus much more intentionally and energetically on the Next Generation in their countries. Here are some of the many comments:
"The CIP / UN Prayer initiative... was such a wonderful and worthwhile time of God's people coming together from across the nations. The first evening as we worshipped and sang "Worthy is the Lamb" together will stand out in my memory as a holy moment in time."
"I have come away uplifted andencouraged by what the Lord is doing across the nations at this time. Soglad and thankful that I came to New York. I'm so looking forward to all that the Lord is going to do in the future amongst the children here in Perth - literally the ends of the earth! I feel that is significant!!"
"I really thank you for involving me in the CiP UN Prayer Initiative. I am returning to Nigeria with a fresh passion and burden for children and youth."
-John Robb, IPC Chairman
