13 September 2011
Jerusalem
For the first time Germany has contributed to the school feeding programme of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The contribution of US$ 2.8 million was announced at a ceremony today in Gaza.
The head of Germany’s Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority, Goetz Lingenthal, said: “I am very pleased that Germany contributes to UNRWA’s school feeding programme as healthy food encourages academic achievement. Evidence shows that adequate nutrition helps students to focus on their schoolwork and to attend school every day. I strongly believe that good education is one of the most important and sustainable investments into a good Palestinian future.”
Accepting the donation, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi expressed his gratitude to the government and people of Germany. “These funds are a bridge between the most marginalised in Gaza and the outside world. Our school feeding programmes provide a much-needed source of nutrition and wellbeing to the next generation in over 200 UNRWA schools across the Gaza Strip.”
Germany’s contributions to UNRWA in 2011 will total some US$ 26 million, including US$ 4 million for school reconstruction. UNRWA assists over a million Palestine refugees across the Gaza Strip with education, health, relief, social services and other emergency programmes. UNRWA in the Middle East assists as many as 5 million registered refugees.
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