UAE mobilizes unprecedented relief effort for Lebanon amid crisis

The UAE’s AED 100 million campaign, “The UAE Stands with Lebanon,” brings hope and essential supplies to thousands, uniting volunteers and aid organizations in a remarkable display of global philanthropy.

(ANI) As Lebanon was reeling under relentless attacks from Israel, the country was pushed into a humanitarian disaster. Homes were destroyed in their thousands, tens of thousands fled to the neighboring Syria, and life’s essentials were in short supply. Ever a source of fraternal support for the tiny Arab country on the Mediterranean constantly in the grip of one crisis or the other, the United Arab Emirates began mobilizing resources to speedily deliver relief materials to people there. The President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced in the first week of October a two-week aid campaign named “the UAE stands with Lebanon” which was later extended and allocation of AED 100 million. The aid delivery was done in close coordination with international institutions such as International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, World Health Organization, UNICEF, and UNHCR.

What followed was nothing short of a miracle, which testified to the UAE’s self-identification as the champion of philanthropy in the service of people anywhere in the world facing hardships due to natural disasters or armed conflicts, regardless of race, ethnicity, faith or geography. A friend in need is a friend indeed was coming true during the three weeks since the announcement of the UAE’s aid campaign, which sought to combine government-funded packages and public collection drives, all under the oversight of the International Humanitarian and Philanthropic Council. The Council pressed into service the diverse humanitarian organizations and charities working in different Emirates and brought them together so the efforts were unified in a cohesive manner.

The Council, a recently formed umbrella for consolidating the UAE’s multifarious developmental, humanitarian and philanthropic initiatives across continents, is headed by none other than Sheikh Theyab bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court and the UAE President’s son. The collection drives in four cities in the country – Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Fujairah – drew massive response from the public, and thousands of volunteers belonging to a legion of nationalities came forward to help with the packing of aid materials. In fact; the response was so huge that Dubai and Abu Dhabi held two collection events each in consecutive weekends in order to accommodate the public enthusiasm to extend a helping hand to the people of Lebanon.

After three weeks of intensive efforts, the UAE has delivered AED 100 million worth of relief materials to people in Lebanon and AED 30 million worth to Lebanese refugees in Syria. In total, 15 planes and a ship carrying 2635 tons of relief materials, including two planes for refugees in Syria, were dispatched within a period of three weeks. The contents of the cargos included food and medical supplies, shelter equipment, ambulances and essentials for women and children.  Augmenting these were the money and materials collected from the public from different Emirates, which amounted to AED 122 million, 1200 tons of relief supplies (45000 parcels). In the collection drives organized by various donor agencies under the supervision of the Council, 16687 volunteers participated actively, helping with the packing and arranging of aid materials.

Around 24 donor and volunteer organizations participated in the relief aid collection activities: the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, Zayed Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charitable and Humanitarian Establishment, Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi Humanitarian Foundation, Ahmed bin Zayed Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai, Dubai Humanitarian, Dubai Cares, Sharjah Charity Association, International Humanitarian City, The Big Heart Foundation, Emirates Foundation, Volunteers-Emirates Foundation, Sharjah Centre for Voluntary Work, Fujairah Charity Association, Watani Al Emarat Foundation, International Charity Organization, Emirates Charity Association, Sharjah Charity House, Dar Al Ber Society, Dubai Charity Association, and Day for Dubai Foundation.

The campaign is still on and the UAE will spare no efforts until full recovery and restoration of security and stability in Lebanon. According to the UAE’s leaders, philanthropy is in the DNA of the nation, and is derived from the great legacy of the country’s founder, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who always stressed the UAE’s ethical responsibility to support people in distress anywhere. He once said: “We believe that the good out of the wealth God has bestowed upon us should reach our friends and brothers.”