MoE, USAID and Anera Inaugurate a Girls’ School in Qaffin
April 14, 2016 | On April 14, 2016, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE), USAID and Anera inaugurated a new girls’ school in the village of Qaffin. The ceremony was attended by Minister of Education Sabri Saidam, Tulkarem Governor Issam Abu Baker, Qaffin Mayor Wael Harashe, USAID West Bank/Gaza Mission Director Dave Harden, and Anera Country Director Paul Butler.
Prior to the intervention, the two girls’ schools in Qaffin – basic and upper basic – shared the same compound, which was overcrowded and lacked proper classroom ventilation and lighting. USAID invested approximately $1.7 million to construct and furnish a three-floor school, featuring fourteen classrooms, a computer lab, a science lab, a multi-purpose hall, a library, handicap-accessible bathroom facilities, and teachers’ and administration rooms. As part of the new project, the school received new computers and was furnished with desks, chairs, and tables. Furthermore, a playground, shading, seating, water fountains, and a canteen were added. The road leading to the school was paved to give students and staff safe and quick access to the facilities. The new school has an enrollment capacity of up to 560 students, and enrollment for the upcoming academic year is expected to stand at nearly 500 female students.
Creating more than 600 short term jobs for Palestinian workers, this intervention was completed under the Palestinian Community Infrastructure Development (PCID) Program – funded by USAID and implemented by Anera. The program aims to increase Palestinians’ access to water and sanitation as well as other small and medium scale community infrastructure needs in the health, democracy and governance, and education sectors in the West Bank and Gaza.
The U.S. Government, through USAID, is the leading provider of bilateral development assistance to the Palestinians, having provided more than $4.6 billion since 1994 for programs in the areas of democracy and governance; education; health and humanitarian assistance; private enterprise; and water resources and infrastructure.
About Anera
Since 1968, Anera has been a leading provider of development, health, education, and employment programs to vulnerable communities and impoverished families throughout the Middle East. Anera reaches the region’s most vulnerable people with health, education and economic development programs and provides humanitarian and emergency relief in times of crisis. In 2016, the relief and development agency delivered over $57 million in programs to people in Lebanon and Palestine.