UAE

Support swells for UAE’s Show Compassion campaign

Donations continue to roll in for the country’s Show Compassion campaign.

The Ruler of Ajman, Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, has ordered the Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi Foundation for Charity to provide 4,000 jackets and 2,000 blankets to help Syrian refugees in the Levant cope during the winter season.

The aid will be delivered in coordination with Emirates Red Crescent.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees on Sunday said that officials on the ground in Jordan had so far received 89,000 blankets from the Emirates as part of the Compassion campaign, which was launched last week after the President, Sheikh Khalifa, called upon the country to help refugees.

Sheikha Azza bint Abdullah Al Nuaimi, director general of the foundation, said the contributions were in line with the foundation’s philanthropic principles, the state news agency Wam reported.

“The Tarahamu [Compassion] campaign was met with remarkable support from many different segments of the UAE society,” said Sheikha Azza.

Others lending their support include Dubai Electricity and Water Authority. The latest government body to come onboard, Dewa is playing its part by installing donation boxes in all its branches to allow staff to contribute. Two cheques, each for Dh1 million, have also been handed over to ERC on behalf of the authority and the Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition.

The country has gone out of its way to aid those in need, said Saeed Al Tayer, the chief executive of Dewa.

“The country spares no effort to provide relief to our brothers and sisters in the Levant, stand by them, and help them overcome their plight in these difficult circumstances,” he said.

Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, the Regulatory and Supervisory Bureau, and Dubai Carbon Centre of Excellence are also contributing to the efforts.

“Helping families and refugees is not new to our caring government, which always leads the way in humanitarian efforts,” said Mr Al Tayer, also the vice chairman of the council.

The support flowing from the UAE sums up its rulers and citizens, said Ahmed Al Muhairbi, secretary general of the council.

“The support of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy’s staff proves that they feel the suffering of their brothers and sisters in the Levant. Their help will reduce the suffering of the families, children, and refugees. We are proud that we belong to the UAE, which stands by its brothers in distress. These values were instilled in us by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan and the late Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum,” said Mr Al Muhairbi.

The Indian Malankara Orthodox Church is also taking part, with officials on Monday asking church members to contribute.

In coordination with ERC and vicars in the capital, Dubai, Sharjah, Al Ain, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah parishes, arrangements have been made to collect winter clothes, blankets and food supplies.

Khalifa bin Darai, chief executive of the Dubai Corporation for Ambulance Services, which has launched an in-house campaign to collect donations, said supporting those in need was “an obligation dictated by our human conscience, preached by our Islamic faith, and urged by the UAE authentic values”.

Dubai Police have also encouraged staff and the public to show their support by placing donation boxes in police stations.