SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Humanitarian aid worth US$ 15.8 million (AED 58 million) to 1,091,000 million refugees, internally displaced and acutely disadvantaged people in 12 conflict-laden nations worldwide has been offered by The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF), a leading international humanitarian organisation based in Sharjah, UAE.
Operating under the leadership of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, UNHCR Eminent Advocate and TBHF Chairperson, the humanitarian non-profit operating out of Sharjah – the third largest emirate in United Arab Emirates (UAE) – has mobilised the funds to support and initiate 20 projects in collaboration with UNHCR, Doctors without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières) in vital sectors of food security, healthcare and education.
Their 2018 efforts spanned 12 countries, namely, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Malaysia, Pakistan, Palestine, Syria, Tanzania, Mauritania, Somalia and South Sudan, and were focused not only on the deployment of emergency aid, but also looked into longer-term rehabilitation and community redevelopment through increasing people’s access to better healthcare, education and employability.
Mariam Al Hammadi, Director of TBHF, has elaborated on the humanitarian strategy that TBHF adopted in 2018 and will continue to execute in the future, saying: “Our efforts are based on two key principles. Immediate assistance, followed by community-building and rehabilitation through education, vocational training and employment. This has helped underprivileged groups to access the necessary tools they need to secure their future, and will strengthen the global march towards realising UN Agenda 2030.”
TBHF deployed its projects through six funds operating under its umbrella. In 2018, The MENA Fund facilitated the development of National Cancer Institute (NCI)’s main building in Cairo, Egypt. The Refugees and IDP Fund has intensified healthcare services for 24,000 Syrian refugees at the ‘Big Heart Clinic’ in Jordan’s Zaatari Camp, and facilitated the construction of a 100-bed hospital in Cox's Bazar for Rohingya refugees.
The Palestinian Children Fund enabled the establishment of the first secondary school for 45,000 children with hearing disabilities in Palestine. It also supported UNRWA’s urgent medical assistance for children.
TBHF’s Zakat Fund established a community centre for 3000 internally displaced students in Aleppo to support UNHCR’s efforts to provide long-term protection activities. Their Emergency Fund extended urgent aid to vulnerable communities in South Sudan, in collaboration with the UN World Food Programme (WFP). The Ameera Fund contributed to 16% of TBHF’s overall contribution in 2018 through several projects and campaigns to promote cancer awareness.
