The Emirates Red Crescent has inaugurated phase 2 of its service projects in refugee camps in Rohingya, Bangladesh.
The initiative was launched H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women’s Union (GWU), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), Honorary Chairperson of the Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, and the “Mother of the Nation”, to meet to the humanitarian needs of refugees, especially women and children.
The projects are being carried out under the direct supervision of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the ERC, in a bid to improve the living conditions of Rohingya refugees and monitor their status.
The projects cover key services, such as housing, water, food and family empowerment, benefitting over 100,000 refugees in Cox’s Bazar.
Nearly 1,800 temporary housing units have been constructed for refugees, and several artesian wells have been dug to provide drinking water to the camps’ residents, in addition to providing them with healthcare services.
In terms of family empowerment, the ERC aims to enable refugees to start small businesses that will provide them with a stable income and improve their financial status.
A delegation from the ERC, headed by Sultan Al Darmaki, accompanied by Abdullah Ali Khussaif, Chargé d’Affaires at the UAE Embassy in Bangladesh, inaugurated the projects, in the presence of several Bangladeshi officials. During the inauguration, the ERC delegation distributed aid to refugees, including food, medical supplies and children’s clothing.
Dr. Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi, ERC Secretary-General, said that the ERC was among the first organisations to support Rohingya refugees, noting the ERC sent thousands of tonnes of food parcels, shelter materials and clothing to hundreds of thousands of refugees.
The projects aim to change the lives of refugees and provide for their basic needs.