Pre-reading questions:
- What is your opinion on giving donations?
- Do you budget your money? Why or why not?
Vocabulary:
- budget /BUHJ-it/
- contribution /kon-truh-BYOO-shuhn/
- annual /AN-yoo-uhl/
- expense /ik-SPENSE/
- penniless /PEN-i-lis/
[noun] the amount of money a person or organization has available to spend
My family is on a very tight budget after my father was sent to the hospital.
[noun] an amount of money that is given to help pay for something
Mary gave a generous contribution to the animal shelter.
[adjective] measured over a period of one year
They harvest the flowers annually.
[noun] the money that you spend on something
It was a struggle to pay for my college expenses.
[adjective] having no money
Eric arrived in this country practically penniless, so he took the first job offered to him.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) might get budget cuts starting July 2018. The United States (U.S.) lessened the aid contribution for the agency from $360 million last year to only $60 million this year. According to Pierre Krähenbühl, the commissioner general of UNRWA, the agency has about a $250 million budget shortage.
The annual expenses of UNRWA depend on the donations of the 193 member states of the United Nations (U.N.). Other countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), and Qatar, provided about $50 million in emergency funds after the U.S. declared to lower aid contribution back in January. UNRWA provides help to penniless Palestinians in Gaza and Syria.
The annual expenses of UNRWA depend on the donations of the 193 member states of the United Nations (U.N.). Other countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), and Qatar, provided about $50 million in emergency funds after the U.S. declared to lower aid contribution back in January. UNRWA provides help to penniless Palestinians in Gaza and Syria.
Comprehension Questions:
- What does UNRWA stand for?
- When will the budget cuts of UNRWA begin?
- How many countries provided emergency funds for UNRWA?
- When did the U.S. announce to lower aid contribution for UNRWA?
- Who is the commissioner general of UNRWA?
Discussion Questions:
- What is your opinion on the U.S. decision to lower their financial donations to UNRWA?
- What do you think would be the effect of the budget cuts on UNRWA?
- Do you think your country will be able to provide help to UNRWA? Please explain.
- If you’re given a chance to make a donation to any cause, will you do it? Why or why not?
- Do you think that budgeting money is important? Please explain your answer.