28 October 2015, Beqaa: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), with the support of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), held a ceremony today at the Wadi El Hawareth School in Beqaa to mark the beginning of the 2015/16 scholastic year at UNRWA schools.
During the event, UNICEF handed out back-to-school kits to a number of students, as part of the wider distribution of these useful kits to 36,549 Palestine refugee students in Lebanon, including 5,485 Palestine refugees from Syria. The school kits included stationary items necessary for the students' education.
The ceremony was attended by Matthias Schmale, the Director of UNRWA Affairs in Lebanon, and Tanya Chapuisat, the UNICEF Representative in Lebanon, in addition to representatives from the Palestinian Embassy, Palestinian popular committees, students, parents and teachers.
Speaking at the event, Mr. Schmale noted, "Investment into education remains crucial to giving Palestine refugees and their children hope for a better future. This year's ceremony is particularly significant after the Agency managed to open the doors of its 68 schools in Lebanon on time, after receiving last minute significant contributions that closed a financial gap of unprecedented size."
Mr. Schmale thanked UNICEF for the invaluable support which contributed to enhancing UNRWA education services and helped the Agency to mitigate the impact of the ongoing conflict in Syria.
On her part, UNICEF Representative Tanya Chapuisat said, "We all need to remind ourselves to put the most vulnerable children at the core of everything we do. The back-to-school initiative today is evidence of our collective efforts to ensure that the rights of all Palestinian children are safeguarded. Every effort should be made to alleviate some of the real burdens facing Palestinian children and families in Lebanon."
As one of the largest UNRWA partners in education and health for children, UNICEF has provided nearly US$ 7 million to UNRWA in cash and in-kind contributions since 2013 for education, health, child protection, and water and sanitation.
Background information
About UNRWA
UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions, and financial support has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees, deepening poverty and conflict. As a result, the UNRWA General Fund, which supports core essential services and most staffing costs, operates with a large deficit. UNRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large deficits, are funded through separate funding portals.
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance.
About UNICEF
UNICEF is one of the Agency’s largest partners and has provided nearly US$ 7 million in cash and in-kind contributions for Palestine refugee children in Lebanon since 2013 for education, health, child protection and water and sanitation. Negotiations for a new major agreement are at an advanced stage, with support from UNICEF to include funding for protection, winterization, education, health care and WASH activities.