Update: Advancement

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LAU and UNRWA sign agreement for Palestinian scholarships

As part of its longstanding effort to make college education more accessible, LAU recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the UN agency that assists Palestinian refugees throughout the world, to provide new scholarships to Palestinian students in Lebanon. LAU and the UN are implementing the UNRWA-EU Scholarship Grant, which aims to attract outstanding Palestinian students who can contribute new ideas and fresh perspectives to enrich the university’s academic, social and cultural programs. The UN, with the help of the European Union Scholarship Program, will offer half of the funds needed for the scholarships, while LAU will supply the other half. This program will benefit five students with sufficient academic potential, who also wish to attend the university.

LAU has been committed to assisting Palestinians in Lebanon in other ways. Since 2001, LAU pharmacy students have supported the Volunteer Outreach Clinic (VOC), an assembly of medical doctors and students who provide basic medical attention to the residents of the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. In many cases, the VOC is the only venue for primary medical care for the patients who walk through its doors. The VOC was established in cooperation with the American University of Beirut (AUB).

UNRWA has been committed to assisting refugees since it was created in 1949, by helping refugees acquire knowledge and skills and achieve decent, healthy lives. UNRWA is active in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, helping 1.4 million people through medical care and the operation of essential educational facilities.

“This is an important agreement for LAU,” Nassib Nasr, the university’s Assistant Vice President for Development said. “The presence of students of different nationalities in a university enriches the students’ life and empowers the dialogue between different cultures.”

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