Development New: EU Gives 100m Euros to Educate Syrian Refugee Children in Lebanon

The EU has announced details of an aid package that includes 100 million euros (about $117 million) to guarantee access to schooling for hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. The additional money for education in Lebanon will come from the EU Syria Trust Fund. The fund has now financed projects totaling over $1.6 billion since its launch four years ago and is planning additional packages for Jordan and Iraq in the second half of 2018.

“In July 2018, The European Union has revealed that it aims to dramatically increase its long-term foreign aid budget by 30% to over $140 billion and make its systems more simple, flexible and effective”

“The new projects will substantially boost social protection and access to education for both Syrian and Palestine refugees from Syria, as well as for local communities. The EU is continuing to deliver on its pledge to help Lebanon and Jordan, which host the largest per capita refugee populations in the world.”

EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn

The new projects will improve access to education for Syrian children living in Lebanon — Photo credit: UNICEF / Haldar

The EU says the EU Syria Trust Fund has given 453,552 refugee and host community children and youth improved access to education, protection, and psycho-social support. It has also supported the construction or renovation of 253 schools and education facilities. The fund is helping to deliver on EU pledges made at the original Supporting Syria conference in 2016 and two subsequent Brussels conferences in 2017 and April, 2018. While the EU is leading the way, the most recent Brussels summit raised only about half the money needed to get every refugee child in school – with 689,000 children in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan still not receiving an education.

Information and picture source: https://theirworld.org/news/eu-gives-100m-euros-to-educate-syrian-refugee-children-in-lebanon