UAE charities deliver potable water to Egyptian villages

Volunteers carry out second campaign in Egypt this year

UAE charities are bringing drinkable water to villages in southern Egypt.

Volunteers spent four days moving from village to village in Luxor and Qena, extending potable water networks to 80 houses and distributing aid to hundreds of families.

It was the second campaign in Egypt this year by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment and the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia), along with volunteers from the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority.

They provided different families with fishing boats, motorcycles or cattle and sheep breeding equipment, depending on their trade. Volunteers also distributed blankets, clothes for children and meat and food staples for about 600 families.

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The team also laid the foundation for a housing project in Qena, a city on the east bank of the Nile.

Saeed Al Tayer, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Suqia, and chief executive of Dewa said: “These efforts reflect the noble values and principles instilled by the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed, in the heart of Emiratis, including human development, wisdom and philanthropy.”

“Suqia’s programme this year includes the ‘100 Volunteers Initiative’ – which aims to promote a culture of volunteering in society – the ‘100 Water Projects’ and international initiatives to provide safe drinking water for needy communities.”

Ibrahim Boumelha, adviser to the Ruler of Dubai for Humanitarian and Cultural Affairs, and vice chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Mohammed bin Rashid charity, said the campaigns were in line with the directives of President Sheikh Khalifa to consolidate the values of giving instilled by the late Sheikh Zayed.

“The UAE will always continue to follow the approach derived from the eternal humanitarian teachings of the late Founding Father. The UAE will continue to be a model and landmark for charity and humanitarian work,” Mr Boumelha said.

In 2016, the UAE allocated $4 billion (Dh14.7bn) to Egypt. Half of the sum was earmarked as an investment and half a central bank deposit to support cash reserves, the UAE state news agency Wam said.

At the time, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, who was visiting the country, said the aid, authorised by President Sheikh Khalifa, showed the UAE was firm in its support for Egypt.