Business & Money | Sunday 8 January, 2017 11:33 am |

In view of the deepening crisis and the onset of a harsh winter in Syria and Iraq, The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF), a Sharjah-based global humanitarian charity dedicated to helping refugees and people in need worldwide, has launched a relief campaign under the theme ‘Warm Hearts’ in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), to collect funds in aid of more than 2,500 families displaced from the war-torn cities of Aleppo in Syria, and Mosul in Iraq.

 

The campaign is in line with the directives of Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi, Wife of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Chairperson of The Big Heart Foundation and UNHCR Eminent Advocate for Refugee Children, in a show of solidarity with Syrian and Iraqi families displaced from their homes as a result of armed conflicts in the two cities.

 

The campaign, which is running in January 2017, is being organised in accordance with TBHF's vision to help and support the refugees and people in need across the world. The emergency relief campaign is also in alignment with TBHF's belief in encouraging community segments to help alleviate the suffering of refugees and the underprivileged by providing them with a safe and decent life until the end of the crisis in their countries and the safe return passage to their homes.

 

Donation boxes will be available at various locations in Sharjah and Ajman, including several stores at the Sahara Centre, Sharjah International Airport, a number of museums of the Sharjah Museums Department, Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre, Matajer Al Qarayen in Sharjah, Paper Fig Desserts Restaurant, branches of Sharjah Cooperative Society in the middle region of the Emirate of Sharjah, City Centre Ajman and Grand Centrale Ajman. Donations can also be made by sending a Du SMS to the following numbers: 9965 to donate AED 10, or 9967 to donate AED 50, or 9968 to donate AED 100

 

Those who wish to make direct fund transfers can send their donations to TBHF's Sharjah Islamic Bank account: 0011430430012 with, or to IBAN: AE260410000011430430012.

 

Mariam Al Hammadi, Director of ‘Salam Ya Seghar,’ a TBHF initiative said: “Displaced families from Aleppo and Mosul are suffering on a massive scale due to the ongoing conflicts in their cities. What is happening in these areas is a humanitarian disaster, where families, including women, children and elderly people, are being forced to flee their homes and take shelter in camps, schools and very often in open areas without the essential materials that protect them against the harsh weather conditions which can see temperatures drop below -10 C."

 

Al Hammadi added: "Over the years, TBHF has extended a helping hand to hundreds of thousands of people in need around the world, thanks to the immense support of the Emirati community. Coinciding with the Year of Giving declared by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, we aim through ‘Warm Hearts’, to bring all communities together to show their unity and support. From UAE citizens to residents we ask everyone to stand together to offer financial support, no matter how large or small the donation, and provide the most basic supplies to those who are in a desperate need of warm materials and heating during these bitter winter months."

 

Al Hammadi urged everyone in the UAE to play a part in alleviating the suffering of displaced children and the elderly through their donations. The proceeds of the campaign will support UNHCR’s humanitarian and protection operations, which will improve the lives of 2,500 families comprising over 16,000 individuals.

                             

According to statistics, 6.5 million people, including 2.8 million children, have been displaced within Syria, the biggest internally displaced population in the world. Since 2011, fifty Syrian families have been displaced every hour of every day. The pace of displacement remains relentless. Well over 1.2 million people were forced to flee their homes in 2016, many for the second or third time.

 

At 3.4 million people, Iraq now has the third largest population of internally displaced people in the world. Half of the population is composed of women and an estimated 51% is under 18 years of age. In recent months, some 213,000 people have fled their homes in different parts of Iraq.

 

In June 2015, Her Highness Sheikh Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi launched TBHF to coincide with World Refugee Day. It followed the decision issued by Her Highness to transform what was then The Big Heart Campaign into a global humanitarian foundation. The move was aimed at redoubling efforts to help refugees and people in need worldwide, with the new foundation adding significantly to the UAE's rich portfolio and long record of humanitarian initiatives regionally and globally.