ADDIS ABABA- Besides the ever-growing economic and diplomatic relations, United Arab Emirates (UAE) charitable foundations have been engaged in materializing the country’s aim of enhancing its people-to-people relations with Ethiopia, according to a senior Emirati diplomat. UAE Embassy recently hosted a webinar meeting in connection with Zayed Humanitarian Day in memory of the country’s founder the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan which is commemorated every year on 19 Ramadan.
During the meeting, UAE Embassy Politics, Economy and Media Section Head Talal Al Azeezi said that his country has played active role in providing humanitarian aid through Emirates Red Crescent and building schools and digging water wells in some remote parts of Ethiopia.
Noting UAE’s development and humanitarian aid is among major areas of the bilateral relations with Ethiopia, Talal stated that his country is engaged in various sectors including education, health, women empowerment and clean energy. To this end, the UAE government has been working in collaboration with the Ethiopian government and other entities including the Red Cross Society.
The head highlighted that building shelter for the internally displaced people (IDPs), providing essential food and non-food assistances in Tigray State, building schools and hospitals and supporting the health sector are some examples of recent UAE aid projects in Ethiopia.
Al Maktoum Foundation (AMF) Projects Director, Manal Ahmed said on her part that the foundation has been contributing to Ethiopia’s Education Quality Improvement Policy Programs Direction and has so far financed the construction of two schools in Addis Ababa. Opened doors in 2018, the schools are being monitored in collaboration with Addis Ababa Education Bureau.
AMF has created employment opportunities to less fortunate students and thus far it has employed 52 teachers and 46 supportive staff, and the beneficiaries’ number this year is 2,100 students. Also, the foundation has provided training of trainers to build the capacity of teachers and supervisors in the education system.
As to Manal, AMF has provided scholars hips in Degree, Masters and PhD programs in Ethiopia and till now around 20 scholarships have been provided in different programs in International University of Africa in Sudan. The foundation plans to widen its availability in different parts of the country and there is ongoing meetings and discussions with Harar Education Bureau to that end.
By the same token, Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) Disaster/emergency preparedness and response coordinator, Kassahun Habtemariam stated that the society is one of the humanitarian actors in the country supported by UAE’s Foreign Aid and Humanitarian Initiatives.
In the year 2018 alone, the ERCS received 50,000 kg of supplementary food/ Corn Soya Bean (CSB), 420 litters of edible oil, 131 mattresses and 131 blankets from the UAE charitable foundations and distributed among the target groups. The monetary value of the support estimated 1,839,350 Birr or approximately 44,605 USD.
Kassahun expressed ERCS’ desire to further strengthen cooperation with UAE’s Foreign Aid and Humanitarian Initiatives and the latter to extend financial and in-kind assistance to violence and conflict affected internally displaced people in various parts of the country.
BY BILAL DERSO
The Ethiopian Herald May 9/2021
