Press Release

Grants totaling US$2.9 million extended by OFID

PR 31/2008 October 9, Vienna, Austria
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The Governing Board of the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has approved grant financing of US$2.9 million at its 124th Session, which was held yesterday in Vienna, Austria. Commenting on the grants, OFID Director-General, Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, spoke of the institution’s dedicated support of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This was affirmed today, he stated, as the majority of the freshly-approved funding would help finance projects and programs of these “worthy partners in development.” Without such donor assistance, Mr. Al-Herbish asserted, most NGOs would “cease to function,” thus depriving millions of their vital services.

A grant of US$2 million will support 20 NGOs in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in Palestine. Assistance will provide urgently-needed services such as physical rehabilitation for the injured and disabled; early childhood and youth development programs, as well as health care. Other schemes will help develop the agricultural sector and carry out environmental protection initiatives. Proceeds will be drawn from OFID’s Special Grant Account for Palestine.

A US$500,000 grant will support a pilot project of the Arab Network for NGOs. The scheme will be implemented in cooperation with NGOs in Bahrain, Egypt, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Sudan and Yemen, with the view to improve their capacities in confronting the challenges of social development. Activities will include carrying out comprehensive assessments in each beneficiary country in order to establish well-developed, sustainable income-generating programs. In addition, an intervention will develop capacity building programs, while another will undertake a series of “ training for trainers” courses using a community-based approach.

A US$400,000 grant will help finance construction of a comprehensive health center in South Shounah Municipality, Jordan. The 1,200 m² facility will cater to number of specialties such as pediatrics, internal medicine and gynecology, and contain an operating theater and emergency services unit. The envisaged center will serve some 80,000 people living in Shounah and its surrounding areas, thereby improving health indicators considerably.

Since its inception, OFID has provided more than US$425 million in grant support, including funding for technical assistance, research, emergency assistance and food aid.