by Payton Bruni – AlBawaba.com — The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced on March 28 that it has completed repairs on 280 educational institutions in Beirut. The 228 schools, 32 universities and 20 training centers were all damaged in the August 4, 2020, port explosion in Beirut that devastated the surrounding area and killed over 200 people. The United Nations reported that the blast destroyed or damaged 80% of Beirut’s infrastructure and put at least 85,000 students out of school. UNESCO started the repairs on the educational institutions almost two years ago with the help of $35 million in aid. UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay wrote in a press release, “Just 18 months on from the disaster, we are pleased to announce that it’s a promise kept. Thanks to donors and to the mobilization of the UNESCO team and all our partners, the goal of rehabilitating the 280 damaged educational institutions has been reached.”