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Dubai: Thousands of children from the destroyed Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr Al Bared in Lebanon will be returning to school in the New Year thanks to a donation of Dh4.7 million ($1.3 million) from Dubai Cares, a UN agency announced yesterday.
All the children from the refugee camp that had been out of school for six months since fighting broke out between Islamist militants and the Lebanese army last summer will be returning to temporary schools located in the Beddawi and Nahr Al Bared areas as a result of the donation that was made to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).
UNRWA Commissioner-General Karen Abu Zayd welcomed the donation, describing Dubai Cares as "an organisation which has risen from the society of Dubai, whose leader has inspired his people to donate enthusiastically to a good cause: the education of poor children."
The charity campaign was launched last Ramadan by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to provide an education to one million children in poor countries.
Dh1.7 billion was raised by businesses and individuals in Dubai, and the amount was matched by Shaikh Mohammad when the campaign ended, bringing the total amount raised to Dh3.4 billion.
Miserable conditions
"One cannot imagine the distress of all these displaced children who have had to live in miserable conditions because of the conflict in North Lebanon. Schooling will bring them stability and extra-curricular activities will create a favourable environment for their psychological development," said Abu Zayd.
The contribution will be used to finance the temporary schooling of the children until August, said Peter Ford, Representative of the Commissioner General at UNRWA in an email interview with Gulf News.
"It is most unlikely we shall have new permanent schools by then so the equipment, school materials and uniforms provided under the Dubai Cares donation will continue to be used after August," he said.
"We shall however need additional financial support after August with things like the renting of temporary buildings for several more months until new schools have been built."
Reconstruction
The agency has used the donated amount to rent, furnish and equip schools in the Beddawi camp area and the area adjacent to Nahr Al Bared to allow the displaced children to continue their education, pending reconstruction of the camp and the schools it contained.
Children will receive psychological support and recreational activities will be organised for them, according to UNRWA.
Ford said that the agency lost six schools during destruction of the camp and the cost of their rebuilding would likely cost up to $10 million (about Dh36.7 million).
"We have not yet worked out the exact cost of building new schools since we haven't yet got access [to the site of the old schools] because of the danger from unexploded bombs. However the average new UNRWA school costs over $1 million to build," he said.
He added that UNRWA was keen to discuss the longer term needs with Dubai Cares and will send a detailed proposal to the charity campaign soon.
"We have already submitted several proposals for the basic education of refugee children in our camps in Syria, Jordan as well as Lebanon, and Dubai Cares is studying them."
UNRWA provides basic education to 500,000 Palestine refugee children in Gaza, West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
In addition, the agency has developed programmes for children, according to their needs, such as remedial education, support for those with learning disabilities and other special needs.
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