UNRWA OPENS EXTENSION TO HUSN BOYS’ SCHOOL
26 February 2015
Amman
H.E. the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to Jordan, Ralph Tarraf, and the Director of UNRWA in Jordan, Roger Davies, opened the extension to Husn Preparatory Boys School in the Palestine refugee camp of Husn, in northern Jordan, on 24 February. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the Director General of the Department of Palestinian Affairs Mahmoud Akrabawi, a delegation from KfW Entwicklungsbank, refugee notables and beneficiaries.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Tarraf said, “Construction of a school means looking to the future. It is a sign of hope; hope for a better future, hope in educating your children for a better life opportunity that is full of pride and dignity, fulfilling the right to decide your destiny.”
Thanking the Federal Government of Germany for its generous contribution, Mr. Davies said, “The construction of the extension to boys’ and girls’ schools and shelter rehabilitation at Husn camp are the upshot of extensive discussions with the local community in the camp. These vital projects came first on the camp priority list developed by UNRWA and the Palestine refugees themselves.”
The school extension forms part of three projects UNRWA is implementing in Jordan funded by the Federal Government of Germany through KfW and under the Regional Programme to Improve Living Conditions in Palestine refugee camps (REPAC). The projects include the construction of extensions to the boys’ and girls’ schools in Husn camp and reconstruction of 80 shelters in Talbieh camp and 57 shelters in Husn camps. All projects were chosen after consultations and meetings between the UNRWA Infrastructure and Camp Improvement Programme and local communities in the respective camps.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance.
Financial support to UNRWA has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees, expanding need, and deepening poverty. As a result, the Agency's General Fund (GF), supporting UNRWA’s core activities and 97 per cent reliant on voluntary contributions, has begun each year with a large projected deficit. Currently the deficit stands at US$ 81 million.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Gunness
UNRWA Spokesperson
Mobile:
+972 (0)54 240 2659
Office:
+972 (0)2 589 0267
Sami Mshasha
Chief of Communications & Arabic Language Spokesperson
Mobile:
+972 (0)54 216 8295
Office:
+972 (0)2 589 0724
Anwar Abu-Sakieneh
Public Information Officer – Jordan Field Office
Mobile:
+962 (0) 79 5671 888
Office:
+962 (0) 79 5671 888
Document Sources: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Country: Germany, Jordan
Subject: Assistance, Children, Education and culture, Refugee camps, Refugees and displaced persons
Publication Date: 26/02/2015