02 Feb 2015
The UAE donated $1 million (Dh3.67 million) though the country’s “Tarahamu” campaign to assist the most vulnerable Syrian refugee families currently living in Jordan. This donation will benefit 2,070 families and each family will receive $480. Shaima Al Zarouni, the International Humanitarian City (IHC) Chief Executive Officer, headed the delegation that paid a special visit to Jordan to meet the refugees. “The IHC is keen to facilitate and enable international humanitarian organisations to assist refugees and provide them with their needs to overcome this crisis,” said Shaima. The delegation paid a visit to meet the refugees and to discuss the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) priorities in mitigating the refugee crisis in Jordan this year. Andrew Harper, UNHCR’s representative in Jordan, thanked President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan for his ongoing support and launching of the “Tarahamu” campaign and His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for his timely donation. “The winter season is not over yet, and this cash will undoubtedly help those vulnerable families keep their children safe and warm during the worst of the winter,” said Harper. In addition to the cash donation, 100,000 blankets were donated by the UAE recently to the Syrian refugees in Jordan prior to the snowstorm to help them get through the harsh weather conditions. The blankets were shipped 12 hours right after the launch of the “Tarahamu” campaign to the refugee camps. The UAE is one of the UNHCR’s key donors in the Gulf region donating a total of $4.9 million in 2014 to UNHCR Jordan and $2.24 million in 2015 to help refugees cope with the harsh weather conditions.