Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Dr. Wissam Rabadi, said the European Union Regional Trust Fund to Respond to the Syrian Crisis (MADAD) has allocated grants to Jordan worth €60.5 million to enable the government to deal with the ongoing consequences of the Syrian crisis, hosting Syrian refugees, supporting host communities, and the Treasury under the current conditions.

In a press statement on Wednesday, the minister said the new aid package will be directed to finance the implementation of three priority projects, so that the first grant, €22 million, will be allocated to the project "Supporting the health system services in Jordan to prevent and manage non-communicable diseases."
The grant aims to improve the efficiency of primary health care services provided to Jordanians and Syrian refugees, to facilitate swift services delivery, increase their effectiveness, and support the health system as a result of the Syrian crisis.

The second grant, worth €11 million, will be allocated to the project "Supporting the economic empowerment of women in Jordan" with the aim of improving the economic empowerment of Jordanian women in the communities hosting Syrian refugees and their ability to access employment and small businesses in Jordan.

The third grant, worth €27.5 million, will be provided as sectoral support through the general budget, which will cover the academic year 2021-2022 to support the government's efforts to improve the quality of education with a focus on basic learning and enhance the capacity of the educational system to integrate Syrian refugee children in the camps, and to ensure continued support to the Ministry of Education, to provide books, pay tuition fees, teacher salaries, and operational costs for schools and kindergartens in refugee camps, including expenses related to maintenance services, water, sanitation and hygiene, and school equipment.

During a previous visit to the Zaatari camp for Syrian refugees, Rabadi urged the international community to provide support to Jordan to continue providing basic services to Syrian refugees, especially health and education, whose costs have increased in light of the Covid-19 pandemic.