Jerusalem, 17 February 2026 – On Tuesday, 17 February 2026, St. George’s school celebrated the inauguration of its project “Renovation of Saint George’s School Facilities in Jerusalem” for a total amount of EUR 630,000, which falls under the “Action for East Jerusalem Identity and Resilience (AJIR)” programme, Phase II, managed by NDC with funding from the Agence Française de Développement (AFD).
The ceremony was held at St. George’s school premise, and was attended by AFD Country Director Ms. Véronique Sauvat, NDC Director Mr. Ghassan Kasabreh, His Grace ـArchbishop Hosam Naoum/St. George’s school chairman, the General Director of St. George’s school Mr. Richard Zananiri, and representatives from the project beneficiaries.
In his welcoming remarks, Archbishop. Hosam Naoum, thanked the AFD, NDC, school staff and everyone who made this project possible. His excellency emphasized the importance of this project for the Diocese, highlighting its commitment and investment in education across a large number of schools in the region. On behalf of the Diocese, Archbishop Naoum concluded his remarks by congratulating the guests on this significant accomplishment in Jerusalem.
In her remarks, Ms. Véronique Sauvat, AFD Country Director, reminded that this project, supported by the Agence Française de Développement through the AJIR+ program, represents an investment of 630,000 euros dedicated to improving the facilities of St George’s school. Beyond the numbers, we are celebrating an investment in youth, dignity, and the future of this community. AJIR+ is built on a simple but powerful conviction: resilience means strengthening institutions, empowering communities, and expanding opportunities. France, through AFD, will continue to stand alongside the Palestinian community in East Jerusalem in support of education, culture, and civil society.
In his role, Mr. Ghassan Kasabreh, Director of NDC, delivered a message on behalf of the NDC Board of Directors, conveying special greetings from Mr. Zahi Khouri, Chairman of the NDC Board. He expressed his deep gratitude to the Consulate General of France, AFD, and the French people for their generous and continuous support to the AJIR programme in both phases, with a total funding of EUR 16 million. He congratulated the school for the completion of their project, noting that it is the first completed project under Pilar I of the second phase of the AJIR programme “Large infrastructure investments targeting education, culture and youth related needs”. Mr. Kasabreh also highlighted the importance of this project in ensuring the continuity of the school’s work and preserving the prestigiousness of this historic educational institution from which generations of Palestinian students have graduated.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Richard Zananiri, General Director of St. George’s school highlighted the important role of developing safe and healthy environment in the education sector and concluded by thanking all project stakeholders and praising the unwavering commitment and efforts to make this project a success.
The project aims to increase the opportunities for a multitude of sports activities as well as social and cultural activities for the school by upgrading the school facilities into safer ones for school children, staff and the Palestinian community in Jerusalem. The project activities included renovating and equipping two playgrounds and a multipurpose courtyard, where school children can spend their recreational time and organize multiple sport activities, as well as social and cultural activities for the school and Palestinian community organizations in Jerusalem. The project also included the renovation of the sanitation facilities, the teacher’s room and the guard’s room.
This project falls under the second phase of the program “Action for East Jerusalem’s Identity and Resilience” which aims to strengthen the resilience and well-being of the Palestinian community in Jerusalem by targeting youth, women and vulnerable populations. The program contributes to empower civil society organizations and strengthen social cohesion in Jerusalem.