The war in Syria, now in its third year, has left at least 93,000 people dead and forced some half a million people to flee last year. In the last six months, the numbers fleeing have more than doubled to 1.65 million, of whom 540,000 are in Jordan. Syrians are also in Turkey, Egypt and Lebanon in large numbers. More than half of all Syrian refugees are children.
A campaign to help the displaced Syrian refugee children, called “Big Heart for Syrian refugee children” has been launched by Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, in her capacity as chairperson of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs and UNHCR Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children.
This campaign is the latest in a long history of humanitarian efforts in which Shaikha Jawaher has helped raise over Dh100 million that helped Palestinian, Lebanese, Syrian and Somali beneficiaries, among many others.
She talks exclusively to Gulf News.
Gulf News: Your Highness, you have recently been designated as the UNHCR Eminent Advocate for refugee children. What does this position mean to you?
Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi: Firstly it is an honour to be entrusted with this responsibility at a global scale. I am pleased because humanitarian work has always been close to my heart but we need to remember that the refugee crisis is a massive challenge.
This role gives me a platform to speak for refugees in the Arab world, Africa and beyond. It is a unique opportunity to transform lives around the world. I believe there are many people whose hearts are filled with love and peace; but it will take our collective efforts to overcome against those who bring suffering to the innocent.
Through the UNHCR, we can be a voice for the voiceless, and raise awareness among potential humanitarians. Many people have the desire to carry out philanthropic work and donate, however, the absence of clear mechanisms for delivering this aid hinders our efforts.
I will work tirelessly to raise awareness nationally, regionally and globally. I urge every individual to show their big heart by joining hands with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees — and transform the lives of children so that they can become future humanitarians and heal the world through peace.
How does this role fit with your long history of humanitarian and philanthropic work?
I see this role as elevating my humanitarian work from the regional to the global level. Since my childhood and youth I have worked to extend a helping hand to the less fortunate among us. Our education, family life and culture all instil a strong sense of justice and generosity in us - particularly so in helping suffering Palestinians. I am not the only one who believes in helping the underprivileged, because this is also an integral principle of UAE culture and society.
One of my most inspiring memories is a group of ladies who took off the jewellery they were wearing, and donated it to raise money for one of our campaigns for Palestine. The pain of our Palestinian brothers and sisters is always in our prayers, but sadly more humanitarian crises continue to emerge. The poverty and violence faced by Iraqis continues to worsen, while the misery of Syrians becomes more unbearable each day - both within their country and in the countries where they have sought refuge. I am deeply grateful for the support shown by Lebanon, which has opened up its big heart and its arms to host hundreds of thousands of Syrians. Lebanon is trying its best to provide subsidies and aid - but it is only one country in a world of over two hundred countries. Therefore the international community needs to stand by Lebanon. Together with many other Emiratis, I have supported the refugees in Lebanon.
The charity work on the ground is driven by volunteers who grew up with a strong humanitarian spirit, and over the years the sense of goodwill for humanity has grown even stronger in our hearts. We hope our attempts secure a better life for refugees in Lebanon, Gaza, Somalia and elsewhere will inspire more volunteers in other countries, because I believe that hope knows no borders. I hope with all my heart that our success stories serve as a positive example for other potential humanitarians.
Your first field visit as UNHCR Eminent Advocate was to Lebanon. Why did you specifically choose Lebanon?
As I explained earlier, we witnessed how the Lebanese have not only opened their borders and their hearts, but also opened their homes to refugees from around the Arab world. For many years Lebanon has been shouldering this burden - for instance hosting our Palestinian brothers and sisters when it seemed like the world had abandoned them. Unfortunately conflicts continue to befall the Arab world, and to this day Palestinians are still suffering — temporary refugee shelters have become their permanent homes.
I have tried to help refugee children through education, as it relieves the burden on their mothers and empowers children to eventually grow into independent adults. We should never overlook or underestimate the suffering of Syrians and Iraqis fleeing into Lebanese territory daily.
Another reason for our strong bond with Lebanon is that we have launched several initiatives from the heart, driven by our love for Lebanon. We launched ‘Salam ya Seghar’, and our donation channels are still open to those who wish to contribute in the UAE.
We have opened the door of collaboration with various international organisations, to deliver aid in critical areas like education and health care. ‘Salam ya Seghar’ benefited Palestinian children through Lebanese help, demonstrating the power of cross-border collaboration.
We also launched ‘B’hibak ya Libnan’, following the Israeli bombardment of Lebanon. We will do everything in our power to help rebuild this country after all this armed conflict. We have developed a program that channels donations to numerous charities benefiting the children, elderly and children with special needs. We have also contributed to Lebanon’s environmental rehabilitation and preservation through ‘Ta’yiria Bahrak Azraq’, which cleaned up the oil-soaked beaches in the aftermath of the bombardment, and restored their beauty.
What did this visit bring to your attention about the humanitarian situation of Syrian refugees?
In every war, although adults start the conflict, the biggest losers are children — and there are no winners. We wanted to bring hope to children because they not only lose their homes, families and siblings — they also suffer from long-lasting psychological effects due to being uprooted and transplanted into abject poverty where they are denied love, compassion, education, health and dignity.
Children are more vulnerable to injury and permanent disability. They also lose their innocence when they are forced to skip their childhood and become breadwinners overnight — looking after their younger siblings and elderly grandparents.
After visiting the refugees, I had a renewed desire to mobilise as many humanitarians as possible to intervene and give these children basic necessities of life that children in other countries take for granted.
Children have a natural instinct to always look to the future with optimism. Our mission is to keep this candle of optimism burning in their imaginations as long as possible. Even in the midst of tragedy and hardships, children play with utmost innocence and look on the bright side, which is something we adults can learn from. They may have lost everything in this world, but they still retain their hopes and dreams and so should we.
With the right education and upbringing, we can groom children into a generation of open-minded adults who condemn racism and sectarianism that triggered these wars in the first place.
God willing, anyone who values human rights will feel touched in their hearts and give these children an education that nurtures their diverse talents — whether in sports, music, arts, science and more.
What support is needed for the refugee children you have met?
Firstly, we acknowledge that resolving the refugee crisis is a massive challenge, therefore we need all the support we can get. We are building bridges of communication with local, regional and global organizations as well as individual donors - because no contribution is ever too small or too big to make a difference. God willing, the Arab world will take the lead and shoulder its responsibility. Through awareness, the voices of those who cry out in pain shall echo around the world, and motivate people to show their big hearts in helping their fellow humankind.
As UNHCR Eminent Advocate, how would you advise individuals or activists in the region to play a key role in helping Syrian refugees?
There needs to be close coordination so that everyone’s efforts are channelled in the most efficient way possible, to the beneficiaries who need it most. We feel the misery of displaced Syrians and the painful burden on Lebanon’s shoulders in hosting so many refugees. It is staggering that 25 per cent of Lebanon’s population will consist of Syrian refugees. Lebanon has more than its fair share of social and economic problems, hence this influx of refugees places an even greater strain on its resources.
I urge everyone to play their part for humanity by easing refugees’ suffering. I am confident that many people share my feelings about this catastrophic tragedy; I am greatly encouraged when I express these feelings on social networking sites and I suddenly see a great number of people responding positively and offering help. From their responses I can tell that many people need more guidance on precisely how they can help, no donation is too small as long as we all combine our efforts and demonstrate the spirit of giving. On a personal level, I remain optimistic that our concerted efforts will achieve positive change and transform lives on the ground.
