United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)

UNRWA, whose purpose is to provide relief for Palestine Refugees and to assist them to become self-supporting began operations in May 1950. It is a temporary, non-political organ of the UN General Assembly, with a mandate currently extending to 30 June 1963. One of the largest of all UN Agencies, UNWRA employs more than 10,000 persons, almost all of them Palestine refugees. Its headquarters are in Beirut, Lebanon, and its operations cover an area of 100,000 square miles.
Pupils of a 4th elementary class photographed during recess. In the background is the Nabatieh Camp. Education is a major part of UNRWA's program in the Middle East camps – altogether 390 UNWRA schools provide 12 years of education for 187,000 refugee pupils. [1961]