Dubai: A massive grant of Dh60.9 million for education in Sudan was announced by Dubai Cares on Wednesday, to be given to the Save the Children charity.
The announcement was made by Reem Ebrahim Al Hashemi, Minister of State and Chairman of the Board of Directors for Dubai Cares, alongside Dr Charles McCormack, president of Save the Children US, a non-governmental organisation that helps children in need around the world, as well as Hussain Halane, the organisation's country director in Sudan.
"We selected [Save the Children] based on its 20-plus years of experience in the country... [It] has one of the largest humanitarian programmes currently operating in Sudan, uniquely positioning it to execute the [Dubai Cares] programmes," Reem said.
The five-year programme will provide direct support for 115,000 children in 200 schools. McCormack called Dubai Cares' commitment to basic education in Sudan "groundbreaking."
"Direct aid for basic education in Sudan has been severely underfunded... [This grant] is more than three times the total direct aid for basic education from all donor governments worldwide to Sudan in 2005," he said, citing an education funding report from Unesco.
"[This] represents the single largest private gift to education in a single country that we have received."
Fundraiser
Eight-week campaign
Dubai Cares was launched as a fundraising campaign last Ramadan on September 19 by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. It raised more than Dh1.7 billion in eight weeks from individuals and businesses in Dubai.
At the close of the fundraising drive Shaikh Mohammad matched the donations, bringing the total amount raised to Dh3.4 billion, which, according to the campaign, makes Dubai Cares the largest foundation focusing on primary education in the world.
By Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporter