The UAE has sent a plane carrying 13 tonnes of vital food supplies to Chad as part of its continuing humanitarian support for Sudanese refugees and the local community.
The aid is aimed at boosting the living conditions of Sudanese people who have sought shelter in the neighbouring central African country since conflict broke out in their homeland in April. It is also meant to help vulnerable groups in Chad.
Sultan Al Shamsi, Assistant Minister for Development and International Organisations Affairs, said the latest aid flight, which departed on Friday, was in line with the UAE's efforts to support civilians in Sudan and those forced to flee their country.
Key UAE support
Last week, an Emirati team delivered additional food and shelter to Sudanese refugees in Chad.
A delegation led by the Emirates Red Crescent, the Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation and the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, has led the important work.
Twenty tents were also given to Sudanese refugees in the village of Karyari.
The UN estimates that more than 300,000 fled from Darfur to Chad since April 15, when fighting between the army and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces broke out in Khartoum.
The UAE recently opened a second foreign aid co-ordination office in Chad. This comes after it set up a field hospital in Amdjarass on July 9 as part of its efforts to bolster the country's health services, which are struggling to treat a huge influx of refugees.
The field hospital, opened under the directives of President Sheikh Mohamed, has treated more than 3,500 patients so far.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
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