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Dubai Cares Assists Save the Children in Helping Children in Myanmar Cope With Deadly Cyclone
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Children look through wooden slats in a monastery which is now sheltering many families who lost their homes in the cyclone. Christian Holst/Reportage by Getty Images for Save the Children. |
Westport, Conn. (May 23, 2008) — Dubai Cares, a new charity based in the United Arab Emirates, is helping Save the Children bring immediate aid to thousands of children and families affected by the devastation of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.
Launched in September 2007 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Cares is the world's largest foundation devoted to improving primary education in developing countries.
In Myanmar, Dubai Cares has donated 200 tents large enough to create temporary schools and sheltered play areas for children as well as 10,000 school kits for children who have lost all of their school supplies.
In addition, Dubai Cares has provided thousands of LifeStraws — individual water purifying devices that make standing water drinkable — for cyclone survivors. The materials are being distributed by Save the Children staffers in the hardest-hit areas of the delta region.
The donation to the Cyclone Nagris relief effort marks the second time in a year that Dubai Cares has contributed to Save the Children programs. In April, Dubai Cares pledged $16.6 million to provide high-quality education for children in Sudan.
"Once again the people of Dubai have demonstrated their generosity in helping children who are in critical need of support. This gift will greatly assist our efforts in helping children cope with the enormous tragedy that continues to unfold in Myanmar," said Charles MacCormack, president and CEO of Save the Children, based in Westport, Conn.
"Our objective is to offer immediate aid to ensure that the children could be placed on the path of recovery by helping them begin their rehabilitation process, following the trauma suffered from the devastating cyclone," said Her Excellency Reem Al-Hashimy, chairperson of the Dubai Cares board of directors.
The death toll from the disaster continues to rise. Unofficial estimates from the United Nations suggest that as many as 102,000 people have died, and up to 1.9 million people have been affected. Authorities have declared five regions — with an estimated total population of 24 million — to be in a state of emergency, including Yangon Division, Pegu Division, Mon State, Karen State and the Irrawaddy Division.
With the support of partners such as Dubai Cares, Save the Children has reached more than 160,000 survivors, including about 50,000 children with food, water, hygiene kits, and other basic necessities.
The donated supplies from Dubai Cares will help provide temporary schools and "safe spaces" for thousands of homeless children. Throughout the delta region, more than 3,000 schools have been damaged, and many children have been separated from their families.
Learn more about Save the Children's response to Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar.
