Young refugees celebrate better health at East Jerusalem festival – UNRWA press release

Young refugees celebrate better health at East Jerusalem festival

9 May 2012
East Jerusalem, West Bank

A festival of health and nutrition took place today in the East Jerusalem refugee camp of Shu’fat. Part of an ambitious project by UNRWA to promote better nutrition among Palestine refugee school children, the event was dreamed up by the Agency’s local girls' school to celebrate one year since the transformation of their canteen with healthier food.

Yesterday’s festivities kicked off with a march from the local women’s centre around the camp’s streets, led by local scout groups. In the school playground, where the march ended, students organised artistic performances and a special exhibition for an audience of students, teachers, and members of the local community.

The healthy eating initiative is part of a project by UNRWA to combat food insecurity in impoverished communities, that will be expanded to include more schools in the coming years. It aims to promote nutrition among school children, and contribute to one of UNRWA’s human development goals: ensuring a long and healthy life for all Palestine refugees.

The project, made possible by the French Social Development Fund, is implemented in partnership with the Juzoor Foundation for Health and Social Development, a Palestinian foundation dedicated to the promotion of health as a basic human right.

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For more information, please contact:

Ilona Kassissieh
UNRWA Public Information Office
West Bank
Tel: +972 (0) 54 216 8717