Relief response depot Dubai Humanitarian delivered $19 million in food aid for children around the world last year, up from $5 million in 2023.
Afghanistan, Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen were the worst affected places.
Food aid included 54.6 million packs of nutritional supplements for children aged six months and older. The organisation said that last year it sent more than $137 million in humanitarian aid across 106 countries.
Children’s educational support was four times higher than in 2023. It exceeded $1.2 million in 2024, compared with $320,000 the previous year, and covered 89,896 learning materials, including school bags and child development kits.
In addition, $31.7 million was allocated to shelters in countries affected by conflict. The funds provided 2.47 million sets of camping and field equipment, including sleeping mats and blankets, for displaced families. Water and sanitation assistance remained at about $3.2 million – $1.09 million funded healthcare supplies and $2.03 million was used for clean water resources.
Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Chad, Cameroon, Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Nigeria and Senegal were among the countries to receive aid.
While more than $137 million was distributed, Dubai Humanitarian’s stock value stood at $195.2 million in January 2024 and $184.7 million by December 2024. The difference between the aid distributed and stock value reflects a continuous cycle of supply and replenishment.
New humanitarian supplies arrive throughout the year, ensuring that stocks remain available. This means the total amount of distributed aid is not solely drawn from existing stock, but is supplemented by newly acquired resources.
Tumultuous year
Giuseppe Saba, chief executive of Dubai Humanitarian, emphasised the pressures faced by aid organisations in 2024.
“2024 was a year of unprecedented global challenges, with data from the Humanitarian Logistics Databank showing that children were the most affected by these crises,” he said. “Food aid for children increased fourfold to $19 million, while educational assistance tripled to reach $1.2 million. Malnutrition continues to pose a serious threat to millions of children and women in crisis-affected regions.”
He said partnerships with the UN and international humanitarian organisations helped aid to reach those in need. “At Dubai Humanitarian, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to standing with the global humanitarian community, intensifying efforts to protect the most vulnerable and providing life-saving aid in critical moments," he added.
At least 22 organisations worked with the UN Humanitarian Response Depot to enable the UN humanitarian warehouse, managed by the World Food Programme, to deliver aid during major crises, said Walid Ibrahim, UNHRD co-ordinator.
“Affected areas include Afghanistan, Gaza, Lebanon and Yemen,” he said. “We also supported ongoing humanitarian operations in 65 countries worldwide throughout 2024.”
More work to do
Last month, Dubai Humanitarian increased the delivery of life-saving medical aid to Gaza to address the humanitarian needs of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, after the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was announced.
Three aid flights transported supplies to Gaza through El Arish in Egypt. The first aircraft carried 67.9 tonnes of medical kits from the World Health Organisation's logistics hub in Dubai.
The flights, launched under the directive of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, were carried out by the Dubai Air Wing.
