UAE: ‘Iraq needs your help’ campaign launched

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

Att.Editors: The following item is by the United Arab Emirates news agency (WAM)

ABU DHABI, Apr 24 2003 (IPS) - In a bid to involve the general public in its ongoing fund-raising efforts for the rehabilitation of the war-ravaged people of Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Red Crescent Society (RCS), in collaboration with Albawardi Enterprises (AE), launched yesterday the – Iraq Needs Your Help" initiative at the Abu Dhabi Corniche, according to a report published today in the ‘Khaleej Times’.

The three-day campaign is inviting people to contribute generously to the humanitarian cause in Iraq, where four million children below the age of five are likely to be severely affected, whereas more than 400,000 children are facing death from epidemics and because of lack of food and medicines. Water treatment equipment and chemicals are also urgently required to provide clean water to more than six million people.

A large tent has been pitched opposite the ADMA-OPCO/ADGAS head offices on the Corniche, where people are invited to come and hand over their contributions, in cash or kind. The initiative will run till tomorrow, from 4pm to 10pm.

Shortly after the commencement of the campaign, large quantities of bottled drinking water were handed over by some capital residents to the AE team. Besides, medical equipment and supplies, dried food packages, tents, blankets, floor rugs and tools are urgent priority items that are also being collected at the point.

According to Hassan Ali Darwish, president of AE, the corporate commitment of the group is not only to enable the industries but to support social causes as well. – The need of the hour is helping the people of Iraq with everything we can. I thankfully acknowledge the excellent response shown by the AE fraternity to this cause and the social conscience displayed by the employees in contributing a day’s salary. The group has also donated a day’s earnings to the Iraqi people," he said.

AE has also taken out a series of advertisements to enhance the social conscience, telling people that ”This is the time to help”.

Lauding the effort by AE, Mohammed Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Director of Resource Development at the UAE RCS, urged more private and public sector companies to support the RCS’ Iraq campaign, noting that the Adnoc Group of companies and the Ministry of Interior had pledged a day’s wages to the campaign.

He also thanked President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan for his prompt initiative in setting up a desalination plant with a capacity of 250,000 gallons a day at Shatt Al Arab, in addition to providing 20,000 gallons of water daily through the UAE RCS to the people of Basra.