NEW YORK, NY - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today announced up to $90 million in funding over five years for education programs in Lebanon and Jordan, in support of the No Lost Generation Initiative. The funding will go toward strengthening the school systems, the education curriculum and social cohesion for Lebanese and Jordanian communities, and the Syrian refugees they are hosting.

“While the devastating crisis in Syria has robbed children of their homes—and in some cases their families—it doesn't also have to rob them of their future,” said USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah at the No Lost Generation Initiative event on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meetings. "That’s why we have joined the initiative, which brings together an international coalition committed to raising awareness about the plight of children, protecting them from violence, and getting them back into schools.”

In Lebanon, USAID plans $45 million in education funding over the next four years, with $9.5 million provided this year. The project will improve reading outcomes for primary-level public school students, strengthen Lebanese institutions to better direct and monitor education, and expand access to safe education for all children, including Syrian refugees.

In Jordan, USAID plans up to $45 million in funding over the next five years, awarding nearly $9 million this year for an education program to improve teaching and learning processes, especially in reading and math, including in communities hosting Syrian refugees. USAID’s UK counterpart DFID is providing additional funding to this program.

The United States is working closely with the Ministries of Education in Lebanon and Jordan, in addition to international organizations, to address the needs of host communities and refugee children, particularly access to quality education. In both countries, USAID supports longer-term development objectives, such as improving early grade reading outcomes in primary schools, and better preparing and equipping teachers to address the needs of all students, including Syrian refugees.

The U.S. Government has provided $2.9 billion in humanitarian assistance since the start of the Syrian conflict that includes protective family care and reunification, psychosocial support and other critical needs of children inside Syria and in neighboring countries.