Ramadan Soup Kitchens Bring Iraqis, Jordanians Together

October 5, 2007 7:14 p.m. EST

Cairo, Egypt (AHN) - A United Nations initiative to bring together Iraqi refugees and their hosts in Jordan is being seen as a success. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has distributed free meals every evening during the holy month of Ramadan to more than 800 Iraqis and needy Jordanians in an effort to bring the two sides together.

"The Ramadan tents and meal distribution show the increase in the level of vulnerability among Iraqis, but also among Jordanians who are being affected by the large presence of Iraqis," Imran Riza, UNHCR's representative in Jordan, said. He called for locals who needed assistance to be helped in the same process.

The UNHCR says Ramadan soup kitchens are a way to ensure "that people are getting a daily meal and honoring traditional Islamic practice."

There are currently an estimated 750,000 Iraqi refugees living in Jordan and a large number of those are running out of money and valuables to trade. It also warned that Iraqis are finding it difficult to make ends meet and to feed themselves.

UNHCR has started a monthly food distribution for more than 1,500 Iraqi families in Amman and will soon extend this to Zarqa and Irbid. Meanwhile, UNHCR and sister agencies last month issued an appeal for $84.8 million to help host countries meet the health and nutrition needs of Iraqi refugees.