George and Amal Clooney are committed to aiding Syria’s refugee children.
The couple’s organisation, the Clooney Foundation for Justice, is partnering with UNICEF to open seven public schools for Syrian refugees in Amal’s native Lebanon, officials announced on Monday.
“Thousands of young Syrian refugees are at risk – the risk of never being a productive part of society. Formal education can help change that. That’s our goal with this initiative,” the new parents said in a joint statement.
“We don’t want to lose an entire generation because they had the bad luck of being born in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
The foundation announced a $2.25 million partnership on Monday, which includes a “generous” donation from Google.org. HP is also donating an additional $1 million.
The collaboration will help the schools provide education services to about 3,000 refugee students who are currently out of school.
A UNICEF spokesman praised the Clooneys’ support, describing it as an investment into “the future of the entire region.”
George, 56, and Amal, 39, have long supported refugees amid the years-long crisis. Last February, the actor-director and the high-powered human rights lawyer headed to Berlin where they sat down with a group of refugees and their families.
During the meeting, Amal also shared her family’s own experience as refugees.
“My own family is from Lebanon and they also ran away from a war, and were lucky enough to be accepted by a European country in 1982 while the violence there was really bad,” Amal, 39, explained.
“I hope that, as you say, you will be able to go back to a safe and free Syria.”
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