AFD and UNRWA enhance schools, infrastructure for Palestine refugees in Lebanon

In Beddawi Camp, North Lebanon, Ghazal walks into her new classroom with a big smile. "It’s bright. We have a nice playground," says the 5th grader. "I’m happy to be here every day."

The 10-year-old’s joy is shared by hundreds of children in the camp benefiting from improved schools, as well as thousands of refugees across Palestine Refugee Camps who now have safer infrastructure and better access to clean water.

These changes are part of a 21 million-Euro project funded by France’s Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and implemented by UNRWA since 2019.

At Jineen School, where Ghazal studies, prefabricated classrooms have been upgraded to provide a comfortable and welcoming space for 694 girls. Nearby, Jordan River Prefabricated School has also been upgraded, offering improved facilities for 628 boys.

Elsewhere in Beddawi Camp, the concrete building of Kawkab and Battouf School is being expanded to include 15 new classrooms, a rooftop playground, and an elevator to enhance accessibility for students with disabilities.

In Nahr El Bared Camp, North Lebanon, the Mazar and Majjedo School was constructed and began welcoming students in the 2023–2024 scholastic year.. It now accommodates 1,344 boys and girls. In the Beqaa area, a new school is under construction to replace the old rented building, offering more than 700 students enhanced learning conditions and adequate playgrounds for activities.

Beyond classrooms, critical water and wastewater systems have been repaired or replaced in several camps. Rehabilitated elevated water towers in Beddawi and Rashidieh now help ease chronic shortages, while solar-powered pumps at wells in Mar Elias, Burj El Shamali, and Nahr El Bared camps ensure a steady flow of clean water.

Across the camps, UNRWA has upgraded old, small-diameter sewage pipelines to reduce flooding and health risks, improved drainage systems, installed chlorination units to ensure water safety, and launched water awareness campaigns to promote responsible water use among residents. Additionally, several roads across the camps have been paved, making daily movement easier for everyone, from schoolchildren like Ghazal through to elderly residents.

During a visit Monday to Jenin School, AFD and UNRWA representatives joined students, staff, and parents to celebrate recent improvements. Jean Bertrand Mothes, Director of AFD in Lebanon, and Dorothee Klaus, Director of UNRWA Affairs, were also present. The delegation toured key project sites in Beddawi camp, including the Kawkab and Battouf Schools and a newly rehabilitated water tower.

"At AFD, we are proud, to be supporting this important work alongside UNRWA, whose work remains essential in providing education, health, and basic services for Palestinians refugees in Lebanon. This project is helping to give thousands of children access to quality education, right here in the camp. For many young Palestinians, it is a path to building a better future, for themselves, their families, and their communities", said Mothes.

"This is not just about buildings—it’s about hope and opportunity," said Klaus. "I am truly happy to see the smiles of children whose daily lives are being transformed through the creation of safe, inclusive, and inspiring learning environments. These spaces motivate Palestine Refugee children to learn and grow. At the same time, the project improves essential infrastructure that directly impacts their lives and those of their families. I sincerely thank AFD and all our partners for their continued support in making these meaningful changes possible."

Across Lebanon, 38,000 Palestine Refugee children study in 61 UNRWA schools, which the Agency operates under its longstanding mandate from the U.N. General Assembly.