Dubai
A delegation of Dubai Cares has concluded a field visit to Colombia to monitor and evaluate the progress of its Dh11 million programme, launched last year, for children affected by conflict in the north eastern region.
The delegation was led by Tariq Al Gurg, CEO of Dubai Cares, part of Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives. The programme, titled ‘Protecting Conflict-Affected Children and Youth Through Education in Northeast Colombia’, extends for three years and targets vulnerable children and youth affected by conflicts in Arauca and Norte de Santander. It directly benefits 15,000 children and young people, Dubai Cares said on Monday.
The delegation also participated in an in-country programme launch alongside the programmes’ implementing partners, the UAE Embassy to Colombia and local authorities.
The programme, implemented in partnership with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) and Save the Children, aims to address four major challenges: the increasing number of out-of-school children and youth, low transition rates from primary to secondary schools, highly-dispersed rural areas and the poor quality of education.
Al Gurg said: “A five decade-long war in Colombia has resulted in the most prolonged and serious humanitarian crisis in the Americas, with children and young people bearing the brunt of this conflict. We at Dubai Cares believe that education is vital to building peace and the provision of post-conflict assistance through our program in Colombia is a testimony of our commitment to help those in need in countries affected by conflicts, disasters and epidemics. Our visit to Arauca in Colombia allowed us to clearly witness the impact of the work being carried out by our implementing partners who are working tirelessly to protect Venezuelan refugee and Colombian returnee children and youth affected by conflict, through education.”
Mohammad Eissa Alqattam Al Za’abi, UAE’s ambassador to Colombia, said: “The UAE and Colombia have a strong bond of friendship which was further deepened with the recent official visit to the UAE by Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia. Furthermore, Dubai Cares’ visit to Colombia to witness the impact of its program on the ground is a true reflection of the UAE leadership’s commitment to boosting bilateral relations with Columbia.”
