Dubai Cares to commit AED1.8mn to Muslim Rohingiya refugees

Dubai Cares announced that it will be committing AED 1,836,750 (USD 500,000) through Education Cannot Wait to ensure coordinated and sustained emergency response to the current influx of Muslim Rohingiya refugees who have been displaced by the ongoing violence in Rakhine state in Myanmar.

Dubai Cares, part of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, made the pledge while attending the Education Cannot Wait's High Level Steering Group Meeting as part of its participation at the 72nd United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.

According to the United Nations, conflict in Myanmar has forced over 410,000 Muslim Rohingya to flee their homes to Bangladesh forming a new humanitarian crisis, with children at its heart. Moreover, the vast majority of refugees are women, including mothers with newborn babies and families with children, according to UNICEF.

Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares, said: "Many of the new Muslim Rohingya refugees arriving in Bangladesh are staying in makeshift settlements or among local host communities. This is putting severe pressure on already scarce resources, which is resulting in shortages in food, water and other necessities. The population is very vulnerable, consisting mainly of women and children. The sooner education can be provided, the greater the gains in helping children adjust to their current situation. Through Education Cannot Wait, Dubai Cares is extending a helping hand by providing Muslim Rohingya refugee children newly arrived in Bangladesh a sense of normalcy, stability, and hope for the future."

Launched at the World Humanitarian Summit in 2016, Education Cannot Wait is already delivering a step-change in the coordination of humanitarian and development funding and planning. Education Cannot Wait is a five-year AED 14.14 billion (USD 3.85 billion) appeal whose main goal is to increase investment in education for children and youth affected by emergencies and protracted crises, aims to reach more than 13.6 million children.