UAE Water Aid: You can be real life saver

The new humanitarian initiative of UAE Suqia, launched by, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, forms a quality addition to a series of initiatives that enhance the UAE's leading role in the field of humanitarian action and embodies the efforts of the country and its leadership in meeting humanitarian needs and improving life in needy areas.

According to a report prepared by Wam, the importance of the initiative highlights the engagement of the people of the UAE, its government and its private institutions in a great humanitarian project which aims to provide clean drinking water to five million people in countries that suffer from water shortages.

#UAEWaterAid: How to donate? Click here

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, has directed Dubai Government entities to participate in the UAE Suqia campaign.

Sheikh Hamdan reiterated that the UAE's humanitarian activities stem from the country's commitment to help the underprivileged, and reflects the genuine characteristics of the Emirati people, which are the values they learned from the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan.

Sheikh Hamdan also re-asserted the fact that the UAE is the world's capital of charitable work and humanitarian activities.

Sheikh Hamdan's directives to engage the entities of Dubai Government in the UAE Suqia campaign mirror the leadership's enthusiasm to boost the UAE's position as a global centre for philanthropy, in addition to its continuing efforts to enhance the standard of living for millions of people around the world.

He said, "Government departments are an integral part of the UAE's social fabric, which imposes many responsibilities and obligations on them.

“These departments should stand up to these responsibilities. All government departments must unify their efforts to serve and support the UAE Suqia campaign.

“We also call on every citizen and expatriate to interact with this drive."

‘Initiative has much significance’

Experts and observers have agreed that this initiative has much significance.

First, it was launched in the Holy Month of Ramadan, a month of blessing that the wise leadership has used to launch many initiatives, when President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has ordered the release of about a thousand prisoners and the payment of their liabilities and debts, along with similar initiatives from Their Highnesses the Supreme Council Members and Rulers of the Emirates as a humanitarian gesture aimed at reuniting the families of these inmates.

Also, earlier directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan to launch the UAE's vaccination campaign against polio to over 3.6 million Pakistani children has strengthened the great humanitarian image of the UAE's leadership, which spares no efforts to support the needy people.

Serious danger of lack of potable water

Secondly, the UAE Suqia initiative came at a time when His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum realised the serious danger of the lack of potable water in the world as United Nations' statistics indicate that there are more than 880 million people around the world without access to healthy and clean water and 3.6 million people, 90 per cent of them under the age of five, die every year because of thirst and diseases caused by lack of clean water.

The World Health Organisation, WHO, says more than 3.4 million people die each year from water-related illness.

United Nations statistics show that 85% of the world population lives in the driest half of the planet and that 783 million people do not have access to clean water.

UAE top global humanitarian aid donor

And thirdly, the initiative confirms that the UAE deserves to occupy the global top level in humanitarian support to countries and people in need, as is demonstrated by international statistics in this regard.

Suqia is the latest in a continuing series of humanitarian initiatives launched by UAE to improve the living conditions of a large number of people around the world. These include the Campaign to Clothe One Million Children Around the World, which His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid launched last year and which exceeded its set target after only 10 days.

During the launch of the UAE Suqia initiative, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid re-affirmed that UAE is the capital of benevolence and that the beginning of Ramadan sees the country launch more humanitarian initiatives for the needy, reflecting the interest of His Highness in extending help to the underprivileged worldwide and channelling UAE humanitarian aid, including water, the source of life, into needy countries.

Government and private sector entities are joining efforts to make the charity initiative a success, with Emiratis and expatriates being the most important element.

UAE people by nature are the source of benevolence which benefit people around the world.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.