Dubai: Last minute donations are pouring in as the UAE Compassion campaign to help Syrian refugees in the Levant prepares to conclude on Tuesday, organisers said.
More than Dh13 million was donated in Dubai on Monday, bringing the total donations to around Dh190 million.
Donation are expected to reach Dh200 million on Tuesday, Mohammad Abdullah Al Haj Al Zarouni, head of Emirates Red Crescent’s (ERC) Dubai branch, said.
“I think by tomorrow, the total amount of money collected will reach Dh200 million. Big and important donations were made in the last few days of the campaign by many generous people, especially after they saw our personnel on the ground working hard and making sure everything was under control,” Al Zarouni said.
In a bid to help Syrian refugees in the Levant struggling with a severe winter, the UAE Compassion (Tarahamu) campaign was launched last Tuesday under the directives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and with the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
Al Zarouni said personnel are working on the ground in the areas covered by the campaign, which include refugee camps in Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
“We have reached and helped 500,000 Syrian refugees so far since the call for the humanitarian airbridge. The refugees have been provided with all kinds of relief materials, including blankets, winter clothes and food supplies. There will be another airplane flying to Arbil with our personnel as well,” he said.
The Mohammad Bin Rashid Foundation has been covering all parts of Lebanon from South up to North and have been focused on providing them with gasoline and food supplies, he added.
Al Zarouni said that among the big donations that poured in yesterday in Dubai were from Dubai Duty Free, which donated Dh5 million, Emirates Islamic Bank which donated Dh3 million and Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates airline & Group, who donated Dh3.6 million.
Other donations were made by Dubai Municipality and Emirates Charity Works Authority, who donated Dh1 million each.
Dubai Police has continued to collect donations from their employees and visitors as well.
One of the biggest all-cargo air freight operators in the Middle East, has donated one of its aircraft to support the regional humanitarian campaign
The Indian Orthodox Church has also joined hands with the UAE compassion.
The supreme head of Indian Malankara Orthodox Church and Catholicose of All The East Moran Mar Baselios Marthoma Paulose II has instructed all church members in UAE to actively participate by putting heart and soul in the UAE Compassion
As part of their efforts, extensive arrangements are in place to collect winter clothes, blankets and food supplies to the refugees in association with Emirates Red Crescent and under the leadership of Vicars of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Al Ain, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah parishes.
Tomorrow is the last day of the campaign, but people can still donate aid material, Al Zarouni said.
