Volunteers at the Dubai Exhibition Center, Expo City, joined thousands of UAE residents in packing aid boxes for Lebanon. KT Photo: Muhammad Sajjad.
Thousands of UAE residents came together in Abu Dhabi and Dubai over the weekend to express solidarity with Lebanon, packing approximately 450 tonnes of essential supplies for the Lebanese people affected by the ongoing Israeli airstrikes. Large crowds of enthusiastic volunteers gathered at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City on Saturday and the Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal on Sunday morning as part of the two-week 'UAE Stands with Lebanon' campaign, which commenced on October 8.
The UAE Stands with Lebanon campaign collected 200 tonnes of relief material from the public in Dubai and 250 tonnes in Abu Dhabi over the weekend. The aid material gathered during the event will assist people in Lebanon who are suffering from the impact of the ongoing conflict. The in-kind donations were mobilized under the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed.
The aid collection was coordinated by the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, with the involvement of over 4,400 volunteers from various nationalities in Abu Dhabi who packed 10,000 baskets of supplies. In Dubai, 10,000 relief packages were prepared by 4,000 volunteers as part of the UAE’s ongoing efforts to provide relief and support to the Lebanese people and to alleviate the current humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.
Earlier, the UAE President directed the provision of $100 million in aid to the Lebanese people. He also allocated $30 million of urgent relief packages to displaced Lebanese citizens in the Syrian Arab Republic.
Dr. Hamdan Musallam Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, emphasized the depth of the historical relations between the UAE and Lebanon, noting the widespread public participation in collecting humanitarian relief aid for the Lebanese people facing the crisis. Al Mazrouei also highlighted the spirit of human solidarity that characterizes the diverse segments of the UAE society, consisting of a wide variety of nationalities, cultures, and ethnicities, who came together to help the people of Lebanon in their time of need.
Approximately 24 donor and volunteer organizations participated in the activities of collecting relief aid at the cruise terminal in Abu Dhabi Ports, including the Emirates Red Crescent Authority, the Zayed Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, the Ahmed bin Zayed Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation, the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department, Dubai Humanitarian, Dubai Cares, Sharjah Charity Association, the International Humanitarian City, the Big Heart Foundation, the Emirates Foundation, the UAE Volunteers Foundation, the Sharjah Centre for Voluntary Work, the Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi Foundation for Humanitarian Work, the Fujairah Charity Association, the Watani Al Emarat Foundation, the International Charitable Works Organisation, the Emirates Charity Association, the Sharjah Charity House, the Dar Al Ber Society, the Dubai Charity Association, and the Day for Dubai.
