New UNRWA microfinance branch opened

AMMAN — UNRWA on Monday inaugurated the newest branch of its microfinance programme in Irbid's Husn, according to a statement released by the agency.

The new branch was opened in Husn to provide improved microfinance and microcredit services to Palestinian refugees in the area, who previously had to travel to the branch in Irbid, some 80km north of Amman, to access these services, requiring them to incur high transportation costs, the statement said. The branch was inaugurated by UNRWA Deputy Commissioner General Sandra Mitchell.

Officials from the Jordanian Department of Palestinian Affairs, staff from the agency’s Department of Microfinance and community members attended the event.

The new branch in Husn, which is the eighth in Jordan, is expected to provide an additional 2,000 loans each year, with a total value of approximately $1.6 million (JD1.13 million) in the first year, with the number of active clients expected to reach 1,000 by the end of 2017, according to the statement.