Abu Dhabi: Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) is currently undertaking a number of health, educational, religious and developmental projects in the occupied Palestinian territories valued at Dh53 million.
Dr Mohammad Ateeq Al Falahi, ERC Secretary-General, emphasised the determination of the UAE key relief agency to provide sustained assistance to the Palestinian people with the aim of supporting socio-economic development and easing their daily suffering.
He said the ERC was coordinating with the Palestinian Red Crescent, government bodies, non-governmental organisations, as well as with local municipalities and councils in the West Bank to implement these projects for the benefit of underprivileged Palestinians in Jerusalem, villages and refugee camps.
Rehabilitation of disabled people, he added, had taken the lion’s share of allocated funds at Dh23 million. Education came second with Dh20 million, followed by mosques with Dh3.6 million, health with Dh3.5 million while the remaining funds were channelled into soup kitchen projects.
Of the major projects were the Dh21 million Emirates fund for rehabilitation of people with disabilities. The three-year project is carried out via the Palestinian Social Affairs Ministry and will serve 519 disabled people. The ERC also offered Dh7.3 million in support of Birzeit University and Dh2.2 million for purchasing medicines for thalassaemia patients.
A sum of Dh172,998 was also offered to support the budget of the UAE Red Crescent clinic at the Al Aqsa Mosque and Dh202,15 was offered as aid to individual cases.
The report also pointed out that the Red Crescent authority has been offering an annual sum of Dh1,5 million for the Khassaki Sultan programme in Jerusalem to finance meals to feed the poor in the Old City of Jerusalem throughout the year where the project is being implemented in collaboration with the Jordanian Ministry of Endowment through its institutions in Al Aqsa.
