UAE: “100 million meals” for disadvantaged countries

A campaign to help the poorest 

“A few hours flight from the United Arab Emirates, there are 52 million people who are hungry. In the world, every 10 seconds, a child dies of hunger. We here in the UAE are blessed and privileged. It is time to reach out to those in need outside the courtroom through this campaign.” A poignant message declared by the director of the association at the opening of the humanitarian campaign. 

This solidarity campaign entitled “100 Million Meals”, launched on April 11 by Sara Al Nuaimi, Director of Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), has a specific objective: to provide food aid to underprivileged individuals and families in more than twenty countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa during the month of Ramadan.

This action of solidarity has succeeded, in only a few days, to stand out by its magnitude in the country and resound in the entire international community and solidarity! “It aims to provide food parcels to enable disadvantaged individuals and families in 20 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa to prepare their own meals during the holy month of Ramadan” reports the project director. 

Every dirham collected will provide a meal to beneficiaries in the targeted countries, including Sudan, Lebanon, Jordan, Pakistan, Angola, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Ghana, Tanzania, Senegal, Egypt, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Palestine.

 

A few days after the launch of the campaign, a very encouraging result!

This humanitarian and solidarity action comes after the 10 million meals campaign carried out by the same association last year. 

To date, nearly 43 million dirham of donations and contributions have been collected. A number that greatly exceeds the results of last year. 

“This year, we have multiplied the campaign by ten compared to 2020, when the campaign was concentrated inside the UAE“, Sara Al Nuaimi proudly reports. And the director hopes that this action will extend over time and not only last the time of Ramadan. She says that while no announcement has been made yet about the possibility of making the campaign annual, the UAE is “already looking into the possibility of extending it (the food campaign) beyond Ramadan“.

Local food made available to the needy 

The MBRGI teams up with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as well as the regional network of food banks and charitable organizations in the beneficiary countries. All these partnerships ensure that food parcels are delivered to the doors of needy families. 

The founder of the association, Ms. Al Nuaimi, said that about 77 food banks around the world have been selected for the campaign. These food items are then sourced locally, meaning that food distributed in Bangladesh, Jordan or Palestine comes from the same country.

“This will give people the flexibility to prepare their own food and also ensure that the food will be sufficient for them for a long time. In some regions or countries, health and sanitation kits are also distributed” she explained. 

Don’t wait any longer to contribute

Donations to the “100 million meals” campaign can be made in four ways: website, SMS, bank transfer and call center. People living in the UAE or outside can donate online at www.100millionmeals.ae or by bank transfer to the campaign account at Dubai Islamic Bank (AE080240001520977815201)