The Novo Nordisk Foundation in Hellerup, Denmark, has announced a five-year, DKK200 million ($30.4 million) grant to PlanBørnefonden — part of Plan International — in support of efforts to expand opportunities for young Syrian refugees living in Jordan.

The grant will fund the Najahna initiative, which aims to help up to forty-eight thousand refugees and other young people better transition into jobs and access increased income opportunities. The initiative will provide access to loans on attractive terms so that young people can start their own business; it also will offer professional and mental support targeting young women, who often are cut off from educational institutions and the labor market.

Created in collaboration with the government of Jordan, the project is supported by a consortium international and Jordanian public- and private-sector actors, including the Confederation of Danish Industry, Norwegian Refugee Council, the Royal Health Awareness Society, the Overseas Development Institute, and the King Hussein Foundation.

“With the grant for PlanBørnefonden, we are sowing the seeds for far more Syrian children and young people to have a brighter future in which they can support themselves and their families and live a dignified life,” said Novo Nordisk Foundation CEO Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen. “Unemployment is a huge problem among young people, so considerable effort must be made in primary schools and at the other levels of education, with special emphasis on ensuring that the educational programs offered match the current job market.”

(Photo credit: PlanBørneFonden)