Dubai Cares shows way forward for charity drives

Dubai: With over Dh800 million raised in just three weeks, the Dubai Cares education-initiative could serve as a model for the Arab region, a senior UN official said yesterday.

Currently in Dubai meeting with Dubai Cares officials and other organisations, Peter Ford, Representative of the Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), described the campaign as "galvanising" the emirate's aid potential.

"This initiative is hugely beneficial for organisations such as ours, as well as others, to help the most vulnerable in society. It really is a trailblazing campaign and hopefully others will follow suit," he told Gulf News.

Earlier this month, it was announced that 10,000 Palestinian children living in UNRWA refugee camps in northern Lebanon would be among the first recipients of funds generated through the Dubai Cares campaign.

Displaced

Over half of the 10,000 children were among those displaced during four months of fierce clashes between the Lebanese Army and the Fatah Al Islam group in Nahr Al Bared camp, which came to an end last month.

The violence forced over 30,000 refugees to flee their homes - most seeking refuge in the nearby Beddawi camp. Much of the camp is in ruins with unexploded ordnances submerged in the rubble.

"As a result of the displacement of people in Nahr Al Bared, children have had to double-up in schools. In some classes there are now 40 to 50 children - three to a desk," said Ford. "Many of the children lost their family homes and have been forced into over-crowded conditions, even seeking shelter in schools in other camps."

The full details of the Dubai Cares' pledge - expected to be in the range of $1 million (about Dh3.67 million) - will be finalised in the coming weeks, but according to Ford, some of the funds will go for counselling children traumatised by the violence. Some of the funds will also go towards transporting children to other schools, as well as renting facilities to hold classes.

Despite growing up in difficult conditions, Ford said a recent UNRWA study found that students in UNRWA schools in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan performed better academically than students attending government schools.

Motivated

"Our kids are very bright and motivated ... They are encouraged to do well, as their families know that often education is one of the ways of getting out of the camps," he said.

However, the trend does not extend to children attending UNRWA schools in Gaza where education is suffering as a result of the "dire conditions" in the isolated strip. Although not as severe as Gaza, education in the West Bank has also been impacted, with daily life controlled by the "arbitrary and unpredictable" measures imposed by Israel.