Ireland allocates €1million to UNHCR to meet basic education needs of Burundian refugee boys and girls

Ambassador Paul Sherlock announced today the allocation of €1 million of Irish Aid funding towards the construction of classrooms and provision of education supplies for children from Burundi living in the Nduta, Mtendeli and Nyarugusu Refugee Camps in Tanzania. The funding will help address the shortages of education facilities and supplies in the camps.

In recent months the number of refugees from Burundi to Tanzania has continued to increase. Women and children make up almost 80% of the new arrivals in and it is estimated that there are now almost 62,000 children of school going age living in three refugee camps in the Kigoma region. As a result there are not enough classrooms to accommodate students, with many attending school in temporary facilities or finding themselves out of school altogether.

Irish Aid funding will be channeled through the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Ambassador Sherlock met this week with the UNHCR Representative in Tanzania, Chansa Kapaya, to discuss the refugee situation and the projects Ireland is supporting. Both Ambassador Sherlock and the Representative commented on the continuing generosity of the Tanzanian government in welcoming and hosting refugees from the region.