Education fund announces third round of grants to support refugees in Lebanon and Jordan

The grants aim to help more than 38,500 people through access to education and skills

Syrian refugees line up at an employment office at Azraq refugee camp in Jordan. The Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund aims to provide displaced people with skills. AP

The Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund has announced the launch of its third cycle of grants for refugees in Jordan and Lebanon.

Coinciding with World Refugee Day on June 20, the grants will provide access to educational courses to teach skills to those displaced from their home countries.

The grants will also support refugee pupils in Jordan and Lebanon with their  secondary education.

This year marks the 20th anniversary of World Refugee Day, which aims to create awareness of the more than 80 million forcibly displaced people around the world and to promote the protection of their human rights.

"I wanted to make sure that we would not be just another donor, but that we would create real partnerships to have greater impact for these youth," said Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair, the Emirati businessman who set up the fund in 2018.

"For example, we offer insights on how to use successful business practices so that our partners can have better results and scale their approaches."

This third round of grants will support eight programmes by partners in Jordan and Lebanon.

Partners were chosen for their approaches to meeting challenges created by the Covid-19 pandemic and, in Lebanon, by the devastating Beirut port explosion last August.

The Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund's third round of grants will aim to make a difference to the lives of more than 38,500 refugees.

"This fund recognises that the most vulnerable Arab youth need education and the surrounding support to assure they find a pathway to work and entrepreneurship," said Mr Al Ghurair.

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