TBHF Allocates US$1.6 Million To Launch Humanitarian Projects In Kenya, Pakistan And Jordan

TBHF allocates US$1.6 million to launch humanitarian projects in Kenya, Pakistan and Jordan

SHARJAH, (Pakistan Point News - 14th Jul, 2020) Continuing its empowering work to shape a more humane, just, and inclusive future for forcibly displaced populations worldwide, the Sharjah-based global humanitarian charity, The Big Heart Foundation, TBHF, has announced the allocation of US$1.6 million to launch five humanitarian projects in Kenya, Pakistan and Jordan.

Announcing this at a virtual press conference today, TBHF said the projects to enhance education, healthcare and community empowerment would be implemented in collaboration with its strategic and long-established partner, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR.

The joint press conference, saw the participation of Khaled Khalifa, Senior Advisor and Representative to the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries at UNHCR; Mariam Al Hammadi, Director of TBHF; Fathiaa Abdulla, UNHCR Representative to Kenya, and a host of humanitarian affairs experts and media representatives.

Outlining the key humanitarian initiatives the two entities would undertake in the coming period, Khaled Khalifa said, "We are grateful to TBHF for its continued endeavours to alleviate the sufferings of refugees and displaced persons across the world. This generous contribution will translate into a better future for more than 25,000 less fortunate individuals."

"We express our sincere appreciation to H.H. Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of TBHF and Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children at UNHCR, for all her efforts to support women and children affected by war and conflict. We are proud to call her a role model for Arab women, who continues to inspire us with several humanitarian initiatives in the East and West," he added.

Speaking at the event, Mariam Al Hammadi, Director of TBHF, said, "TBHF’s assessment of the global humanitarian landscape reflects the vision of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and the directives of his wife, H.H. Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of TBHF and Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children at UNHCR."

In Pakistan, TBHF will finance the establishment of a training centre for refugee women, while also supporting the rehabilitation of four existing training centres serving around 3,000 Afghan refugee women who live in a community of 1.4 million registered Afghan refugees.

The organisation has backed the efforts of Jordan’s Ministry of Health to curb the spread of COVID-19, including the coverage of referral costs of 190 refugees with serious medical conditions such as cardiac ailments and blood disorders. The project will also support in the provision of critical reproductive health services including normal and caesarean delivery, high-risk pregnancy, complicated births, and neonatal care.

In Kenya, girls constitute only 24.5 percent of the total enrolment, and hence, to improve their access to secondary schooling and enhance their learning outcomes, TBHF will support the construction of the "Big Heart Secondary School for Girls". This boarding school will accommodate about 360 girls residing in the north-western region and is expected to open in June 2021.

TBHF has allocated $266,000 to cover the operating costs of a health clinic that serves the needs of about 22,000 refugees who are vulnerable to many communicable and non-communicable diseases, new arrivals with poor immunization, inadequate water and sanitation facilities and poor knowledge.