Abu Dhabi
The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) was founded in 1983 and is known for its worldwide humanitarian work and development programmes.
To mark Emirati Humanitarian Work Day and continuing the good efforts made by Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the ERC celebrated his immortal memory and remembered his unforgettable achievements for humanity.
Around 800,000 people are to receive free iftar meals during Ramadan, which are being offered in 112 tents across the UAE in addition to Eid clothing and zakat activities to support the vulnerable and raise awareness about humanitarian work.
“Nearly Dh100 million was set aside the previous year to serve different activities including Eid clothing, Ramadan iftar, zakat, building and renovating mosques, orphanages and building refugee camps,” said Rashid Mubarak Al Mansouri, deputy secretary-general for local affairs at ERC.
“This year has witnessed a 10 per cent increase to ensure that various campaigns arecovered within the UAE and abroad,” he added.
The ERC has worked hard to develop local projects within the UAE as well as external projects.
A total of Dh6 million was set aside in 2009 to renovate houses within the UAE. More than 40 houses were maintained across the UAE emirates in addition to renovating several mosques in the different emirates.
Additionally, several constructive projects have been implemented by ERC in countries affected by disasters and crises.
The cost of development and reconstruction projects implemented in 2009 was Dh155 million, including housing, health, and education as well as facilitation projects.
The ERC has also provided other relief and emergency aid to several countries to mitigate the damage caused by disasters such as floods, earthquakes and rain.
The countries covered by these projects are Palestine, Yemen, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Lebanon, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Maldives.
The ERC did not only focus on reconstruction and renovation projects, but also on providing countries such as Afghanistan with textbooks, stationery and furniture for schools and universities to improve education standards and support the Afghan people.
Additionally, ERC has launched several health initiatives to provide medical treatmentsfor needy and underprivileged families here and abroad.
The Beating Hearts initiative was launched in 2008 in Africa to support the treatment of children with heart disease with the help of a host of renowned heart surgeons and physicians from the UAE, France, Egypt and Morocco.
Thousands of African children with congenital heart conditions have been treated under the initiative, which was launched under the theme “Together for a beating heart for children”.
