Dubai: Dubai Cares joined hands with CARE International, a global consortium of 12-member organisations dedicated to the worldwide reduction of poverty, to drive forward its objective of educating one million children in developing countries.
In alliance with CARE International, Dubai Cares will develop and implement primary education programmes in Yemen, which remains one of the most underdeveloped countries in the Middle East. With its current portfolio of education initiatives, Dubai Cares has become the world’s largest charitable establishment, solely devoted to improving primary education for underprivileged children.
The joint Dubai Cares-CARE International primary education programmes, to be rolled out over four years in Yemen, will increase the quality and relevance of education to 36,000 primary age children in the rural governorate of Hajja, with special emphasis placed on providing girls with access to education. The programme will also ensure the construction of nearly 100 primary schools in the underserved areas, with six classrooms each.
Dubai Cares goal is to deliver education programmes covering the entire value chain of education and will include action-learning and life-skills training with partners based in the targeted countries. Under the Yemen programme, over 200 women will be trained as primary teaching assistants, while in addition, 200 primary teachers will be familiarised with child-centred techniques for supporting slow learners and late starters.
Also there is a water component to the Yemen education programme that provides piped water to the schools without existing convenient water sources.
Reem Al Hashimy, Chairperson of the Dubai Cares Board of Directors, said: "CARE International was selected for its 15-year track record in Yemen and we are confident our partnership for Yemen will yield anticipated results within the determined time-line for the benefit of the community at large.
"The impact of our intervention is long term, and will be felt long after the initial phase of our programme is complete. By building 100 schools in the first four years, Dubai Cares’ effort in Yemen will translate into tangible results for an additional 4,000 children per year, over and above the 36,000 children provided with places within the four-year life of the project itself – results measured in terms of the children’s access to primary education in the country."
Dubai Cares selects its partners based on their profile of providing for the underprivileged children around the world, and their access to adequate resources and infrastructure that can make an immediate on the ground impact.
Dubai Cares has prioritized Phase One grants to countries that have the highest level of needs and can deliver maximum benefits to its children. Last month, Dubai Cares announced 12 beneficiary countries under Phase One, including Bangladesh, Bosnia, Chad, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Maldives, Mauritania, Niger, Pakistan, Occupied Palestinian territories, Sudan, and Yemen; and Palestinian refugees (in Lebanon and Jordan).