Big Heart pledges Dhs300,000 to support distance learning

In response to UAE schools rolling out remote learning programmes as directed by the UAE Ministry of Education (MoE), The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF), a Sharjah-based global humanitarian organisation dedicated to helping refugees and people in need worldwide, has announced the contribution of Dhs300,000 to the Al Ahliya Charity schools to support distance learning of Sharjah students who study in schools that run on charitable funding.

This is the first project being undertaken under the TBHF Local Fund. The funds will be utilised by the Sharjah Private Education Authority (SPEA) for purchasing tablets for students who do not have one.

Maryam Al Hammadi, Director of TBHF, said: “The UAE has made tremendous efforts to turn the local education system completely virtual, facilitating schools to organise distance education classes so students can continue learning from home. Sharjah and TBHF are committed to ensure that benefits of this programme can be accrued by the maximum number of young learners in the UAE. Through this initiative, we are doing our part in guaranteeing that more students in Sharjah have the means they need at home to keep learning and growing.”

Al Hammadi praised the active role of Al Ahliya Charity schools during the past decades in supporting the education process for students  across the emirates of the UAE, stressing that this contribution is only a very simple initiative and a national duty in exchange for what the nation is providing to support the experience of distance learning.

On another note, Al-Hammadi stressed that The Big Heart Foundation is following the developments of the humanitarian situation in the world due to the outbreak of coronavirus, especially the potential dangers to refugee camps, displaced people and societies that were torn by conflicts and disasters, losing their ability to combat the virus.

Al-Hammadi said that the foundation is communicating with its partners and humanitarian organisations in the world to prepare emergency response plans targeting the most vulnerable societies and those who lack proper infrastructure and health care systems.

A recent report said the Sharjah Charity House donated $1 million to support The Big Heart Foundation’s, TBHF, humanitarian projects in the Kakuma refugee camp and the Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement in the Republic of Kenya to provide basic services and develop their infrastructure.

The donation came as a result of a recent visit organised by TBHF, the Sharjah-based global humanitarian organisation dedicated to helping people in need worldwide, to the refugee settlements in Kenya’s north western region. Top Emirati officials, CEOs and business leaders were a part of the team that assessed the precarious existence and daily challenges of the camps’ 191,500 residents.

The visit was undertaken in line with the directives of H.H. Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of TBHF and UNHCR Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children, which calls for further engagement from the public and private sectors, as well as individuals, to provide support towards implementing sustainable projects to help refugees, displaced persons and those affected by the crisis, lead peaceful and stable lives.

The refugees in Kakuma camp comprise 22 nationalities who have fled war and instability in search of food, security and livelihood. Most of the refugees are from South Sudan and Somalia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Ethiopia. The camps lack even basic necessities like drinking water and electricity. The residents live in a harsh environment due to the drought that is affecting Kenya, which has led to a constant outbreak of diseases.

Sultan Al Khayyal, Secretary-General of Sharjah Charity House, said, “Sharjah’s vibrant humanitarian culture is a reflection of the humane principles H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has placed at the forefront of our emirate’s developmental journey. These values have been successfully transformed by H.H. Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, into global initiatives and programmes supporting the displaced and less fortunate around the world.”