Taawon, Open Society Foundations fund $1.5m grant for UNRWA

AMMAN — Taawon (Welfare Association) and UNRWA have recently signed a $1.5 million memorandum of understanding to support the UNRWA education programme for refugees in Jordan and neighbouring areas. 

The memorandum was signed by the director general of Taawon, Tafeeda Jarbawi, and UNRWA director of communications, Sami Mshasha, according to a joint statement sent to The Jordan Times.

The grant is jointly funded by Taawon and the Open Society Foundations, and aims to provide psychosocial and counselling support to Palestinian refugee students across Jordan, Lebanon, the West Bank, (including East Jerusalem) and Syria.

“Strengthening critical thinking skills and providing children with counselling and
psychosocial support can significantly contribute to students overall well-being and help improve learning outcomes for Palestine refugee children,” Caroline Pontefract, director of the UNRWA department of education, said.

More than 250,000 Palestinian refugee children, their teachers and the UNRWA school community are expected to benefit from the programme, according to the statement.

"This grant underlines our recognition that UNRWA plays an essential and irreplaceable role in promoting the rights and well-being of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East,” Anthony Richter, director of special initiatives at the Open Society Foundations, added.

Critical thinking is important in helping students achieve their full potential, the statement said, adding that it can also support self-development, participation and encourage positive social behaviours. 

Pontefract thanked Taawon and the Open Society Foundations for their support in light of the UNRWA funding shortage.