ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 19th Jun, 2020) Tomorrow, the UAE will celebrate the annual World Refugee Day held on 20th June, affirming its commitment to its humanitarian efforts to support refugees around the world and ease their suffering, by providing moral and material assistance.
This year's event will be celebrated during a time when the world is facing the coronavirus, COVID-19, crisis, which has aggravated the suffering of refugees by causing challenges and hardships, to provide basic services and humanitarian assistance.
The UAE is continuing its efforts to support refugees around the world and help them overcome the difficulties imposed by the pandemic. These efforts stem from the humanitarian values of the Emirati community based on tolerance, love, and respect for all cultures, religions and races.
Since the start of the year, the global humanitarian assistance and medical supplies provided by the UAE have supported many governments and international organisations in countering the repercussions of the pandemic in camps and areas with refugees.
On May 12, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, ordered an aid flight to support the delivery of ventilators and other critical supplies as well as relief items to Somalia. The aid material forms part of the World Health Organisation’s COVID-19 response and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ flood relief efforts in the country.
The Mogadishu-bound flight carrying over 35 tons of life saving equipment was chartered by the International Humanitarian City under the directives of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid to help those most in need at such a challenging time.
The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, in February, distributed winter aid to refugees and people affected by extreme weather conditions in Greece under the framework of its winter campaign to support refugees in the southeastern European country.
The aid, which consisted of winter-related requirements, including heating equipment, blankets, covers and food parcels, was distributed to refugees in the ERC’s camps in Larissa and Ritsona, as well as other camps in Greece, benefitting 125,000 people The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, provided humanitarian aid to Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, upon the directives of the UAE’s leadership.
The aid includes the distribution of various relief materials that benefitted 45,000 refugees in camps in Cox’s Bazar, comprising food parcels, shelter and heating materials, as well as clothes, cleaning materials, food supplements for children, educational materials and school supplies.
The UAE is among the first countries to respond to the Rohingya refugee crisis and has launched several projects that benefitted women and children, including a related nutrition project, in cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR.
Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, launched a winter aid programme for Syrian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Greece, Egypt and other countries, costing AED15 million, which will benefit a million refugees.
UAE's efforts to support education for refugees across the world continued. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, MBRGI, provided high-tech offline educational solutions to Jordan’s refugee camps during its first mission amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of "Madrasa for 1,000 villages", the MBRGI donated tablets to support distance learning for the most vulnerable children, including refugees and children with disabilities, equipped students and teachers with offline solutions to access over 5,000 high-tech science, mathematics and Arabic video lessons without the need for internet access.
The mission saw the distribution of innovative offline solutions, including Madrasa tablets, Wi-Fi hotspot devices, Madrasa flash memory and Madrasa Smart Bag, to ensure a rich virtual learning experience in remote areas and refugee camps as school closures leave millions of students worldwide out of classrooms.
UAE’s Madrasa e-learning platform also reached out to many far-flung villages in Arab and African countries, providing high-tech offline educational solutions to students, defying challenges posed international travel restriction and borders closure.
Launched in October 2018, the Madrasa e-learning platform provides more than 5,000 free-of-charge high-tech educational videos in biology, chemistry, physics, general science, mathematics and Arabic to Arab students from kindergarten to grade 12. In February 2019, the platform was expanded to "Madrasa for 1,000 villages" to support learning for Arab students living in villages, remote areas and refugee camps without internet access using four innovative offline solutions.
