UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini joined scores of Palestine refugee children at the conclusion of their summer camp activities at the UNRWA School in Sur Baher in East Jerusalem, which ran between 10 and 15 July.

The Commissioner-General expressed his delight upon seeing Palestinian children as they engaged in several activities that included handicrafts and preparing Eid al-Adha sweets.

“It is wonderful to see children have fun with their friends after a very difficult year of semi-isolation because of COVID-19,” said Lazzarini. “UNRWA will continue to do all it can to help contain the spread of the virus and its new variants. It will continue to advocate for equitable access for all to COVID-19 vaccination so that important activities like these will not have to be suspended again.”

This year, UNRWA launched its summer camps in 29 schools in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, with funding from the United States Department of State, Bureau of Population Refugee and Migration and UNRWA USA, targeting about 3,000 refugee students from the various refugee camps, including the most vulnerable children who suffer from difficult economic conditions and children with disabilities.

The UNRWA summer camps included various art and cultural activities, such as handicrafts, drawing, music, singing, folk dance (dabkeh), drama and theater, in addition to sports, science and environmental awareness activities. The summer camp activities included a trip that was organized for all the participating refugee children to Jericho, as well as a ceremony that showcased the handicrafts made during the summer camps.

The summer camps resumed this year after being cancelled the last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic that encircled the globe.

Commenting on the importance of organizing recreational activities for UNRWA students at this particular time, the Chief of UNRWA Education Programme in the West Bank, Muawiyya Amar, said: “The mental health of refugee children has been impacted during the past months as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on the socio-economic situation . These summer camps targeted those who were the most affected and in need of emotional and social development.”