UAE's Zayed for Good Foundation reunites Russian mother and 4 children

After more than four months of separation, four children returned to their mother’s arms, closing a chapter of suffering for a Russian family who faced harsh health and living conditions that almost deprived them of the most basic elements of family stability.

The story began when Maria Lvova-Belova, Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights in Russia, informed Dr Mohammed Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Ambassador to the Russian Federation, about the humanitarian situation of Irina, a Russian citizen,

Irina was supporting her four children alone in the absence of any family support or relatives able to help her, relying entirely on government assistance allocated for children, she said.

The family’s suffering was exacerbated due to the accumulating debts owed for housing and basic services, the deteriorating condition of the house and the mother having been forced to repeatedly enter the hospital to receive treatment.

This led the children to be placed in a social care institution for more than four months in the absence of anyone to care for them.

Immediately, the UAE Mission to the Russian Federation co-ordinated with Zayed for Good Foundation and the Presidential Commission for Children’s Rights in Russia to study the case and develop an integrated support plan.

The plan included settling the accumulated debts, rehabilitating the residence, furnishing the home and providing the family’s basic needs with a view to creating a safe and stable environment, returning the children to their mother and restoring the family’s cohesion.

Dr Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi, Director General of Zayed for Good Foundation, affirmed that this initiative reflected the Foundation’s vision of making human beings the focus of development, based on a firm conviction that family stability was the foundation upon which prosperous societies were built and that protecting children and empowering families were key priorities in all its humanitarian and development programmes.

The initiative is of particular importance as it coincides with the Year of the Family, which embodies the UAE’s interest in consolidating the status of the family and supporting its cohesion, he said.

The new strategy of Zayed for Good Foundation is based on developing sustainable humanitarian and developmental solutions that are not limited to meeting urgent needs, but extend to addressing the causes of challenges and enabling families to regain their ability to build a more stable and dignified future through effective partnerships that achieve a long-term developmental impact, he added.

Meanwhile, Al Jaber affirmed that this initiative embodies the humanitarian values from which the UAE proceeds in its dealings with all humanitarian issues around the world and reflects its keenness to extend a helping hand to the most needy families, preserve human dignity and promote the stability of societies.

The constructive co-operation between the UAE Mission in Moscow, the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights in Russia and Zayed for Good Foundation contributed to transforming this humanitarian case from a story of suffering into a story of hope, restoring to the children their natural right to life within a stable family, he added, stressing that humanitarian partnerships based on trust and co-operation are capable of making a real and sustainable impact on people’s lives.