Manama: Kuwait’s donation of $15 million (Dh55.07 million) helped save the school year for Palestinian refugees, said Pierre Krahenbuhl, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
The UN lauded Kuwait’s support to UNRWA through the years, affirming that Kuwait was always ready to assist in times of need, Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) reported.
When UNRWA announced that a deficit of $101 million might affect the school year at the agency’s schools, Kuwait was among the first nations to respond to the emergency with its generous donation, the official said.
The combined donations from Kuwait, the UAE and Saudi Arabia reached $49 million, covering almost half of the deficit that would have seriously compromised the school year for children of refugees. UNRWA received donations also from the US, Switzerland, Norway and the UK, he added.
The official reiterated UNRWA’s gratitude towards the three Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
Regarding the presence of Syrian and Iraqi refugees at UNRWA’s camps, the official said that the agency’s support would continue as it is despite the alarming increase in the number of refugees.
Krahenbuhl said that the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip continued to severely affect the agency’s efforts there.
UNRWA has 685 schools hosting some 500,000 Palestinian students in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip. The staff at these schools is about 22,000, Kuna reported.
