| The Agency also runs an enterprise training program that educates participants in subjects such as book-keeping, taxation, tendering, computing and e-commerce. Further, the Agency helps support economic development in the refugee community by offering capital investment and working capital loans at commercial rates, including microfinance loans and small-scale enterprise loans. Such programs are critically important to help the Palestinian refugee population become self-sufficient, which is why the United States is UNRWA's largest bilateral donor. In 2011, we provided just under $250 million to the agency, including $146 million to its General Fund, 75 million to its West Bank and Gaza emergency programs, and $15 million to emergency programs in Lebanon. The final $10 million went toward the construction of five new schools in Gaza, which will serve an estimated 10,000 schoolchildren. The United States encourages the Agency to maintain the neutrality of its operations, expand its donor base, enhance its strategic communications, and maximize programmatic efficiencies in order to better serve refugees. |
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