JERUSALEM, Thursday, April 11, 2019 (WAFA) – Thanks to a generous donation of $23 million from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) will embark on large-scale maintenance projects that will ensure that 268 schools and health centers in Syria, Jordan, Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, have sound construction and are accessible to all visitors, according to a press release by the UN agency.

“We are extremely grateful that the SFD has made this support available, as many of our structures needed maintenance,” said UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl. “Going into a well-kept school or health center can make a huge difference in terms of respect and morale, and that is exactly what we want people to feel: we care about your dignity.”

This funding comes under a package of three agreements with a total amount of $63 million, signed in November 2018 between the Saudi Development Fund and UNRWA, in support of projects across all five fields of UNRWA operations in the region, said the press release.

Saudi Arabia is currently the third-largest donor to UNRWA and has contributed over $800 million since 1994, a clear sign of support to Palestine refugees and to their dignity and wellbeing.

“Regular maintenance and upgrading of UNRWA facilities is key to the health and safety of the children, men and women who visit our schools and health centers,” said Krähenbühl. “Maintenance may sometimes take a backseat in the face of other more pressing needs such as food assistance and healthcare, but we always seek to ensure that our structures are safe and our equipment functions efficiently.”

M.K.