UAE charity pledges Dh800,000 to Yazidi cause

Dubai: UAE-based charity The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF) has signed an agreement with Nadia’s Initiative to support their efforts to rebuild the Iraqi town of Sinjar, enabling the safe return of internally displaced Yazidis back to their homes.

TBHF has pledged $216,000 (Dh793,371) to the Sinjar Action Fund, which is run by Nadia’s Initiative, founded by Nadia Murad, a co-recipient of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. The agreement was signed by Mariam Al Hammadi, TBHF Director, and Nadia Murad.

Yazidis continue to suffer from Daesh’s genocidal campaign, with 3,000 Yazidi women still in captivity and 300,000 living in camps for the internally displaced. With their homeland uninhabitable, the Yazidi community remains on the verge of collapse.

“Yazidis living in camps want to return home,” said TBHF director Mariam Al Hammadi, “but the lack of safety and necessary infrastructure remain the biggest obstacles.

“Through our financial support to Nadia’s Initiative, which we consider a humanitarian duty, TBHF aims to not only help reconstruction efforts being undertaken by SAF, but to also support Nadia’s efforts in garnering global support to stop Daesh’s genocidal campaign against the innocent Yazidis.”

Murad, who is herself an Iraqi Yazidi, has been using her global recognition to secure SAF funding. She was a keynote speaker at the Investing in the Future Conference (IIFMENA) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, last October and shed light on how Mena youth can overcome challenges posed by war and conflict, sharing her own personal journey after being held captive by Daesh for three months.

TBHF was established in 2015 following a range of humanitarian initiatives and campaigns launched by Shaikha Jawaher Bint Mohammad Al Qasimi, Wife of the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of TBHF and UNHCR Eminent Advocate for Refugees. TBHF aims to protect children in need and their families. Although it concentrates on the Arab world, it provides support internationally.