Abu Dhabi: Emirates Red Crescent continues to work hard to respond to the pressing humanitarian needs in Yemen, providing food and relief materials to 57,000 households or approximately 399,000 people since Aden was liberated, a senior official said on Wednesday.
“While continuing to assist in immediate relief, we are working for long-term responses, including school rebuilding, maintenance of health facilities, livelihood rehabilitation and longer-term food assistance,” said Dr Mohammad Atiq Al Falahi, secretary-general of Emirates Red Crescent.
Dr Al Falahi said food and relief parcels are being distributed to 4,330 Yemini households on a daily basis. “Food and relief materials have been distributed to as many as 399,000 Yemenis since Aden was liberated,” he said.
He said nine ships loaded with 18,322 tonnes of aid were sent to Aden Port as well as 50 trucks as part of its massive relief programme to assist Yemenis in Aden and other neighbouring governorates affected by the unfortunate events taking place there.
“The assistance is part of the UAE’s humanitarian efforts to help alleviate the suffering of the brotherly people of Yemen,” he said.
The UAE’s largest aid agency has scaled up its relief operations in Yemen in implementation of the directives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and the orders of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and follow-up by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region and chairman of the ERC, to alleviate the suffering of Yemeni people and improve their living conditions.
Dr Al Falahi said it 170 ERC officials and volunteers were working diligently on all humanitarian fronts to secure the basic needs of the Yemeni people.
The UAE has become the world’s largest aid donor to Yemen in 2015, providing humanitarian aid worth Dh744 million ($202 million) between April and July — almost half of the aid pledged by other countries.
Dr Al Falahi said ERC’s reconstruction and relief efforts will not be limited to Aden “as we will move on to all other Yemeni provinces as the security situation improves”.
Emirates Red Crescent launched a major television fund-raising campaign in early September with the slogan ‘Yemen, We Care’, with the aim of coming to the aid of 10 million Yemenis.
The ERC has also allocated Dh50 million to water projects in the country, provided generators and started rebuilding and repairing 154 schools.
Dr Al Falahi said more than 50 schools in Aden have so far been revamped, equipped and furnished, with work being carried out on more than 100 others. “Ten schools are being revamped and fully equipped on a weekly basis and Emirates Red Crescent has allocated Dh81.3 million for rebuilding of schools in Yemen.”
Maintenance of health facilities, water and electricity works as well as sanitation and parks continues to be undertaken.
“Hospitals and clinics in Yemen are being rehabilitated and fully equipped at a total cost of Dh48.5 million. Some Dh9 million has also been allocated for medicines and medical supplies,” Dr Al Falahi said.
Dr Al Falahi said Dh220 million has been allocated for power generating projects in Aden and 90 per cent of these projects are now operational. “Emirates Red Crescent will also rehabilitate the sanitary drainage network in Aden at a total cost of Dh5.7 million and Dh4.5 million was allocated for waste management,” he said.
In August, the UN’s humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien praised Emirates Red Crescent for its humanitarian efforts in Yemen calling the organisation one of the UN’s most important humanitarian partners in the region.
