ERC approves more than Dh24m for foreign aid

The bulk of the aid will go towards supporting Iraqi and Syrian refugees.

Emirates Red Crescent’s higher committee for foreign aid has approved more than Dh24 million for international relief operations, with the bulk supporting Iraqi and Syrian refugees. Iraqi internally displaced persons and Syrian refugees in Iraq’s Kurdistan region will benefit from Dh18.1m of the Dh24.6m aid package, the state news agency Wam reported.

As a result of an influx of refugees in Iraq and Syria, some of the money will go towards shelter and education projects. ERC will also expand its operations to cope with the demand for help.

In its first meeting this year, the committee also approved Dh6.13m worth of cash assistance for underprivileged people in Somalia, Morocco, the Philippines, Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Egypt and Serbia.

Medical assistance worth Dh403,370 will also go to patients who have chronic diseases, living in India, Yemen, Afghanistan, Palestine, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.

In addition, Dh5.17m is to be used for relief and humanitarian programmes in Palestine.