By Joseph Varghese/Staff Reporter
Al Fakhoora, part of Education Above All (EAA), an initiative of HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, chairperson, Qatar Foundation, has engaged in several UN agencies to help rebuild the war-torn Gaza in Palestine.
Al Fakhoora signed agreements yesterday with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in this regard.
Farooq Burney, director, Al Fakhoora; Frode Mauring, UNDP special representative; Scott Anderson, UNRWA representative; and June Kunugi, Unicef representative; were present at a press conference to announce the agreements. Marcio Barbosa, CEO, EAA, and Fahad al-Sulaiti, deputy CEO, EAA, were also present.
The UN agencies will work in Gaza for reconstruction, rehabilitation and psycho-social support projects in the education sector with a focus on damages occurred in Gaza during last summer’s hostilities.
The UN agencies will ensure primary, secondary and post-secondary students have the right to quality education and will strengthen child protection systems to provide psycho-social support to children.
Burney said Al Fakhoora will provide financial support for these agencies with $40mn donated by Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2014 from the Qatar Development Fund to support Al Fakhoora programme.
“Subsequent to this donation, Al Fakhoora met with the UN agencies to review project proposals for rebuilding and re-equipping damaged schools and university buildings along with the provision of psychosocial support in Gaza.”
The UNDP project ‘Right to Education in the Gaza Strip’, will allow over 600,000 Palestinian children and youth to regain equitable access to quality education and its completion in an inclusive child-friendly learning environment by 2016.
The Unicef project ‘Investing in Education and Building Resilience in Gaza’, will use a “build back better” approach to ensure that child-friendly schools are safe places for children, and will support innovative education for 113,885 students and teachers in 168 schools across Gaza. The project will also strengthen child protection systems to provide psycho-social support to children, and will enhance adolescents’ social entrepreneurship skills.
The UNRWA project will work towards restoring a safe and effective learning environment for the 242,000 children enrolled in UNRWA schools in Gaza.
Anderson from UNRWA said: “School should be a place where children feel safe, secure and free to explore their potential. However, last summer’s conflict means that too many schools in Gaza no longer represent that haven.”
Mauring, of UNDP, commented: “This partnership will allow the youth in Gaza to take a deeper view of their civic commitment to society and contribute to their right to shape the future. It will enhance educational attainment and economic viability by rebuilding schools and educational facilities damaged during the
recent conflict in Gaza.”
Kunugi, of Unicef, said: “At a time when so many Palestinian children in Gaza still struggle to return to a normal life, we welcome this important project which takes concrete steps to help girls and boys study in a safe, stimulating and uplifting environment, where entrepreneurial learning and innovation are also nurtured.”