UNRWA WELCOMES EDUCATE A CHILD DIRECTOR DURING VISIT TO JORDAN
01 June 2015
Amman, Jordan
UNRWA welcomed Educate A Child (EAC) Director Dr. Mary Joy Pigozzi, to brief her on the ongoing UNRWA/Educate A Child programme. Educate A Child is a global programme founded by Her Royal Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser of Qatar’s Education Above All Foundation.
The UNRWA/Educate A Child programme is designed to reach out-of-school Palestine refugee children impacted by the conflict in Syria. The programme focuses on returning children in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan to school, delivering quality and inclusive education and providing alternative learning opportunities for those who cannot access classrooms.
While in Amman, Dr. Pigozzi met – via video conference – with UNRWA education staff and students in Syria. The staff and students discussed the programme’s successes, and the challenges associated with accessing education during conflict. Six of the 53 students who returned to school as a result of UNRWA/Educate A Child 2014 Summer Learning activities spoke with Dr. Pigozzi and described their excitement about returning to their studies.
D. Pigozzi also viewed the new UNRWA animation, ‘Education brings hope in times of conflict’. The film seeks to educate parents, teachers and the community about the psychosocial support and alternative learning programmes available to children through UNRWA. Dr. Pigozzi concluded her visit by meeting Palestine refugee students from Syria at an UNRWA preparatory girls’ School in Sweileh, North Amman.
In 2013, Educate A Child generously allocated US$ 5 million to the UNRWA Education in Emergencies programme (EiE). “The support from Educate A Child makes a critical difference in the lives of vulnerable children affected by the Syria conflict,” said UNRWA Director of Education Dr. Caroline Pontefract. “Education is a source of hope, stability and normalcy for children living through displacement and conflict. UNRWA is grateful for the support and partnership of Education A Child.”
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 more than US$ 106 million.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Gunness
Spokesperson, Director of Advocacy & Strategic Communications
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
Document Sources: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Country: Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar, Syria
Subject: Armed conflict, Assistance, Children, Education and culture
Publication Date: 01/06/2015