The head of Germany’s Representative Office to the Palestinian Authority, Goetz Lingenthal, said that Germany made the contribution to UNRWA’s school feeding program because it believes “healthy food encourages academic achievement.”

He said that “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 marginalized in Gaza and the outside world. Our school feeding programs 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 $26 million, including $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 programs. UNRWA in the Middle East assists as many as five million registered refugees.

M.S.