Dubai: Dubai Cares kicked off its ‘Back to School’ edition of Volunteer Emirates on Sunday in support of children affected by the Syrian crisis in Jordan.
The first day of the initiative, which is running from May 26 to 29, saw 500 volunteers from the UAE community come together at Al Boom Tourist Village to pack school kits that will be distributed to children ahead of the beginning of the new school year. Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares kicked off the initiative and joined the volunteers in packing the school kits. Around 2,000 volunteers are expected to participate in this 4-day initiative taking place during Ramadan.
“As the protracted conflict in Syria continues, more and more children and young people are witnessing their education — and in turn their future — slipping away,” said Al Gurg.
“Through initiatives like this we are allowing the UAE community to support us by ensuring that they are properly equipped with basic school essentials before the beginning of the new school year,” said Al Gurg.
Volunteers
“This is what Ramadan is about — the UAE community coming together to recognise the difficulties faced by others and donate our time in order to help them. I’m proud to support Dubai Cares here today,” said Shakeel Afzal, one of the participating volunteers.
Maria Luz Pilos, another volunteer, said it is rewarding to know just how much of a positive impact these school bags will have on Syrian refugee children. “We’re giving them the best possible start during such an important period of their lives, because we all recognise just how important education is in nurturing resilient and confident children,” she added.
Dubai Cares is a part of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives.
According to a 2018 UNHCR report, Jordan recorded 657,628 registered Syrian refugees as of February 2018, with 51 per cent of those being children. Although 126,127 Syrian children were enrolled in public schools during the 2016—2017 academic year, 40 per cent of school-aged child refugees remain without an education. In Jordan’s Zaatari refugee camp, which today houses more than 80,000 Syrian refugees, around 25 per cent of the camp’s 28,599 school-aged children are out of school.
