UAE’s charity brings smiles to people in Gaza

The spirit of giving has no end. It is a noble deed which is appreciated by both the giver and the recipient. In fact, in more cases than one, the benefactor receives the blessings of the one who receives the aid or help.

There is no limit to generosity and the UAE has shown this in a sparkling manner. In a new development, the “100 Million meals” drive has effectively delivered 28 million meals in Palestine. This was done after tying up with the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

Galvanised by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), the campaign enabled the WFP to provide food support to more than 310,000 people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Some 103,000 people across the West Bank’s 11 governorates benefited from instant e-vouchers worth $2 million. The support reached over 17,167 families enabling beneficiaries to choose food items from more than 130 stores.

More than 207,385 people across the Gaza Strip’s five governorates received food support. It was provided to 34,564 families for a whole month. The support also included small projects, retail stores, farmers and women’s cooperatives, which are certified as food suppliers.

Despite hurdles in logistics, the campaign managed to deliver a large number of meals in Palestine and was able to reach out to tens of thousands of beneficiaries in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Mageed Yahia, WFP Director in the UAE and Representative to the GCC, said, “The 100 Million Meals Campaign showcases just how much can be achieved when public support is mobilised to combat global hunger. It also proves that together we can make a world with Zero Hunger a reality.”

Even in emergency crisis situations, it has come to the rescue and succour of the afflicted. It continues to help those affected by the fires in Greece by sending food, medical supplies and firefighting material on flights.

It has sent 300,000 vaccine doses to the Comoros and 100,000 doses to the Philippines. It has sent a plane carrying medical supplies to Mauritania in the war against the coronavirus and even over 45 metric tonnes of medical supplies to Tunisia.

These are but glimpses of its humanitarian face, acts that bring relief and smiles to those who receive them.

The move by The 100 Million Meals campaign to distribute 10 million meals inside the country is also praiseworthy. Particularly because it comes at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has made fulfilling basic needs a huge task. With many jobless and struggling to make ends meet, this drive has come as a ray of hope to the beleaguered people at the receiving end of the virus impact.

The 100 million meals campaign has tied up with the UAE Food Bank to distribute the 10 million meals.

The 100 Million Meals campaign, launched in April 2021, is an initiative by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to provide food parcels for families and people in need across 30 countries. It has provided food support for the vulnerable in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Coinciding with the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment (MBRCH) announced the expansion of food relief operations to 10 additional countries.

A recent report said the MBRCH will finance and implement food support operations in several countries including Benin and Senegal in Africa, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Nepal in Asia, Kosovo in Europe, and Brazil in South America, thus contributing to financing the ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign efforts in 30 countries, and carrying out on-ground distribution operations in 17 of them.

It simply proves that the UAE will always remain a global bastion of philanthropy.