Ramadan 2022 in UAE: Sheikh Mohammed announces one billion meals initiative

The UAE will undertake an initiative to deliver one billion meals to the needy around the world during the holy month of Ramadan.

The ‘One Billion Meals’ campaign will help secure food aid for vulnerable communities in 50 countries, tweeted His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Thursday.

The campaign will begin on Ramadan 1 and continue till the goal of delivering a billion meals is achieved. “800 million people suffer from hunger around the world. Our humanity and our religion tell us to extend a helping hand,” said Sheikh Mohammed.

The Dubai Ruler added that the campaign would deliver “a billion meals and a billion humanitarian messages from the UAE to the world”.

“The best charity is to feed the hungry, and the best of people are those who think of others,” he added.

Organised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), the campaign builds on the runaway successes of previous Ramadan campaigns launched by the UAE.

The ‘100 Million Meals’ campaign launched during Ramadan 2021 raised more than double its target earlier this year — 220 million meals — to be distributed among disadvantaged communities in 47 countries across four continents.

In 2020, the ‘10 Million Meals’ drive helped deliver over 15 million meals for Covid-19-hit communities in the UAE in less than a month.

Through an “integrated food supply ecosystem”, the One Billion Meals campaign aims to provide sustainable food aid to underserved populations.

“The world is going through challenges in providing food security for everyone. Our mission is to support our brothers in humanity to save them from hunger,” Sheikh Mohammed added.

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Hunger is claiming hundreds of lives daily

Hunger claims a child’s life every 10 seconds. According to statistics tweeted by Sheikh Mohammed, 25,000 people die of hunger daily, including 10,000 children.

Over 800 million people are undernourished globally, 52 million living in the Middle East and North Africa. The majority of them are women and children.

How the previous campaign fed millions

The 100 Million Meals campaign provided food support as food parcels and instant smart vouchers to millions of beneficiaries across four continents, including Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen, Tunisia, Iraq, Egypt, Kosovo, Brazil, Benin, Burundi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Senegal, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Angola, Sierra Leone, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.

Food parcels are currently being distributed to beneficiaries in collaboration with the UN World Food Programme, the Food Banking Regional Network (FBRN), the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment (MBRCH) and humanitarian organisations in targeted countries. Distribution is set to continue throughout this year until all donated meals are delivered to those in need.

“As a global philanthropic pioneer, the UAE aims to galvanise global action to combat world hunger, a major humanitarian challenge exacerbated by the Covid-19 outbreak. Through its humanitarian campaigns, the UAE aims to foster a culture of giving and emphasise the power of collective action in making a tangible difference in people’s lives,” the UAE Government Media Office said in a press statement.

sahim@khaleejtimes.com

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