DUBAI // The UAE Water Aid campaign has raised Dh103.2 million in 10 days, with Dh8.8m donated by the public through text messages.
The amount, enough to help 4.1 million people in undeveloped countries gain access to clean drinking water, is more than 80 per cent of the Dh125m target.
A private donation of Dh1m was made by a philanthropist in his parents’ names, while another Dh1m was given by Yousuf Ali on behalf of the Emke Group, which owns LuLu hypermarkets.
Dubai’s Gujarati community showed its support, with the Anjuman e Najmi organisation donating Dh500,000 on behalf of the Alavi Bohra Islamic community.
Dubai’s Awqaf Al Jafaria Islamic Charity gave Dh300,000 and Dubai Courts pledged Dh250,000.
The campaign, launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, aims to bring clean water to 5 million people.
Businessman Ziad Al Ghazal donated Dh250,000 and Satwa’s Fakhry Centre gave Dh52,000.
A report by the Ministry of International Cooperation and Development showed the benefits of UAE-funded water projects worldwide is not limited to reducing the time spent collecting water.
It also included health benefits and social, economic and educational improvements.
The UAE spent Dh1 billion between 2009 and last year on water projects around the world.
The projects have contributed to improving the enrolment rates of pupils, particularly girls living in rural areas, as youths now spend less time collecting water from distant wells.
The report showed that UAE-funded water projects helped to improve personal hygiene, which reduced infections from diseases.
Water availability allowed time for women to take care of their children and families, which led to improved child health and gave families more time to spend on gaining livelihoods.
The UAE has provided better water resources in more than 61 countries, helping to reduce conflicts and provide security.
The country’s assistance in establishing dams and major water projects is not limited to providing drinking water, but also helped agriculture and hydroelectric power schemes.
The Merowe Dam in Sudan, which the UAE helped to fund, provides 1,250 megawatts of power and irrigates 300,000 hectare of cultivated land.
malkhan@thenational.ae
