The German Development Bank (KfW) on Wednesday signed agreements with the UNRWA to provide the latter with a grant totaling EUR 18 million from the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The financial support will be earmarked for the advanced preparations for the return of 1572 Palestinian families to the newly reconstructed Nahr el-Bared refugee camp in northern Lebanon and the education and health services provided by the UNRWA for those Palestinian refugees in Lebanon affected by the ongoing conflict in Syria.
A large part of this aid EUR 15 million will go towards the reconstruction of Nahr el-Bared camp in northern Lebanon over a period of four years. Related activities will include the reconstruction of 276 residential units and 64 retail units rubble removal and archaeological investigations on the site.
These funds come in addition to EUR 8.8 million previously donated by Germany in support of displaced Palestinian refugees from the camp and reconstruction efforts and will help residents to rebuild their lives after nearly 10 years of displacement.
The remaining EUR 3 million of the German aid will help the UN agency to provide critical access to health and education assistance for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon including over 31500 Palestinians who escaped from the Syrian war and are currently displaced in the country.
To date nearly half of the camp’s displaced families have returned to newly reconstructed homes with support from a wide range of international donors.
