Jawaher Al Qasimi and the First Lady of Zanzibar discuss opportunities to boost humanitarian partnerships

Sharjah: Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Chairperson of The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF) and Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has emphasised that humanitarian work is a cornerstone of global development.

She said that humanitarian work is crucial to achieving sustainable development goals, promoting social equity and advancing relations between nations.

Sheikha Jawaher met Maryam Mwinyi, First Lady of Zanzibar, Wife of President of Zanzibar, and founder of the Maisha Bora Foundation (ZMBF), at the Presidential Palace during an official visit to the United Republic of Tanzania.

The two humanitarian champions convened to explore collaboration between TBHF and ZMBF, specifically designed to empower women and youth, in line with Zanzibar’s developmental agenda focused on utilising local resources and boosting its blue economy.

The meeting was attended by Khalifa Abdulrahman Al Marzouqi, UAE Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania; Saleh Al-Theeb Alhemeiri, Consul General of the UAE in Zanzibar; Noura Al Noman, Director of the Executive Office of Sheikha Jawaher Bint Mohammed Al Qasimi; and Mariam Al Hammadi, Director General of TBHF.

The other attendees included the Dr Riziki Pembe Juma, Minister for Community Development, Gender, Elderly, and Children in Zanzibar; Dr Ellen Mkondya Senkoro, Member of ZMBF; Fatma Fungo, CEO of ZMBF; and representatives from Zanzibar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

Exemplary global humanitarian models

During the meeting, Sheikha Jawaher underscored the pivotal role of TBHF and ZMBF as exemplary models of innovative humanitarian work. Both organisations prioritise long-term development projects, strategically focusing on harnessing and enhancing local human resources, building skills, and empowering communities to take ownership of their development. These initiatives are closely aligned with the UAE’s broader vision for sustainable humanitarian efforts and reflect the directives of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to empower disadvantaged communities and foster self-reliance.

Sheikha Jawaher said: “Global humanitarian work has seen a profound shift recently, with a growing focus on empowering local communities to pursue their development independently. Short-term aid, while crucial in emergencies, is no longer sufficient. We must now focus on sustained support, ensuring that those in need are equipped to pursue their own development independently. This strategic shift is embodied in ZMBF’s initiatives, which have successfully enabled women and youth to shape their futures through impactful, self-sustaining projects.”

Cooperation between TBHF and Maisha Bora

During the meeting, ZMBF made a detailed presentation to the attending officials outlining their shared vision and mission with TBHF, and their special focus on empowering local women and youth through projects focused on leveraging and utilising local resources, sustainable development to under-resourced communities worldwide by targeting key sectors of education, healthcare, unemployment, and youth and women empowerment, amongst others.

First Lady of Zanzibar Maryam Mwinyi, praised the humanitarian efforts of Sheikha Jawaher on an international level. “I am pleased to welcome Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher Al Qasimi, the accompanying delegation, and the TBHF team in Zanzibar, a country that shares strong ties with the UAE. We look forward to strengthening ties through our humanitarian institutions, which aim to improve the quality of life and future of our community, because they deserve it. We hope to establish close and effective partnerships with TBHF, led by Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher, to support our shared efforts in enhancing the society’s development in Zanzibar.”

Flagship project

Sheikha Jawaher and the First Lady visited one of ZMBF’s flagship project locations. The seaweed farm empowers women and youth through planting, harvesting and processing, producing a range of products, including food and skincare items and securing external markets. This initiative is designed to strengthen the economic empowerment of the local community, allowing individuals to drive their own economic advancement. The project has effectively addressed critical challenges in seaweed farming, such as low quality and productivity, high post-harvest losses, a lack of entrepreneurial skills, lack of equipment for farmers, limited adoption of new technologies, low male and youth engagement, and the high transportation costs from farms to drying facilities.

Both parties explored opportunities to leverage their deep expertise in community development to work together in future to drive far-reaching impact in their respective communities. They also discussed the need to establish strong local partnerships in order to pave the way for innovative grass root level projects that will not only meet the specific needs of their target communities, but also maximise the use of available resources.