Dubai: Dedicated to providing Syrian refugees food and medical care, the Big Heart Campaign is now urging donors to feed the minds of over 1.2 million refugee children through education. While the three-year crisis drags on, the campaign will turn its focus on education with the aim of finding children a more sustainable solution that empowers them in the long run.
During its first phase, the campaign provided life-saving medical interventions for over 265,000 Syrian refugees and food and cash to more than 400,000. The third phase of the campaign will be launched during a 10-day fun-filled event titled “No Lost Generation - Journey of Hope.” The event will take place from February 10-20 at Dubai Mall’s Souq Arena, and will feature a variety of activities for both children and adults. The activities will include badge and kite making, face painting, flower distribution, and arts and crafts. The launch will also include special appearances by celebrity supporters such as Emirati singer Hussain Al Jasmi. The campaign for Education will continue until May 7.
The Big Heart Campaign was first established in June 2013, under the guidance of Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah. Shaikha Jawaher is the UN refugee Agency (UNHCR)’s Eminent Advocate for Syrian Refugee Children. Highlighting the campaign’s development to respond to the needs of refugees, Shaikha Jawaher said education is the latest in a series of phases targeting areas of priority. “Children are born with a hunger for knowledge and a thirst to satisfy their endless curiosity, so education is just as vital as the air they breathe. Let our big hearts beat as one and let us work together to turn young refugees into future humanitarians,” she added.
Sharing the goal of educating children around the world is Gordon Brown, UN Special Envoy for Global Education, who is among the campaign’s supporters. “By fighting for the fundamental right to education for the children of Syria we can establish the principle that even in the most hopeless of situations learning can continue.”
Within six months, the campaign has achieved several milestones including the most recent ‘Warm Hearts’ winter campaign. The initiative saved hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees from the frost-ravaged sub-zero temperatures of Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria itself, by raising urgent funds for warm shelters, blankets and clothing.
