The UAE has set out a plan to fund 100 million free meals in 20 countries across the region, in one of the biggest food drives of its kind.
Speaking on the eve of Ramadan, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid unveiled a major campaign to ensure people in need do not go hungry.
The Vice President and Ruler of Dubai said the effect of the coronavirus pandemic continued to be felt.
He said there were 820 million people undernourished globally, including 52 million in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Fifty-two million people just four hours away from us [in UAE] are threatened with hunger
A website set up for the campaign allows people to donate as little as Dh10 to fund 10 meals, rising to Dh500 or more.
"Brothers and sisters, the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed many people to unprecedented survival challenges," he wrote on Twitter.
"Fifty-two million people just four hours away from us are threatened with hunger.
"Today, we launched a 100 million meals campaign. It is the largest campaign of its kind to feed people and distribute 100 million meals to 20 countries in the region.
"We will work with humanitarian associations, companies, businessmen and philanthropists in the UAE to send 100 million messages of goodness and love to the needy and the poor in the month of goodness.
"Distributing food is the best thing to do to bring us close to the month of fasting."
The campaign is an expansion of 2020's 10 Million Meals campaign, which helped people in UAE who lost jobs and saw salary cuts during the pandemic.
It also worked to feed people who would normally break their fast at free iftars at mosques and public places, which had to be cancelled last year due to the pandemic.
In a broader regional drive this year, Sudan, Lebanon, Jordan, Pakistan, Angola, Uganda and Egypt are among the countries who will benefit.
Speaking on Monday, Saeed Al Tayer, managing director of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa), said the body had donated Dh10 million to the cause.
"Thanks to a benevolent leadership and carried forward by a generous people, we can assist those most in need, support the deprived and stand by the vulnerable during the holy month of Ramadan," he said.
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) will coordinate with the Food Banking Regional Network and UN World Food Programme to reach the people who need food most this Ramadan.
UAE residents with Etisalat and Du numbers can donate through their phone providers.
To donate, send the word "meal" to the following numbers:
1034 for a Dh10 contribution
1035 for a Dh50 contribution
1036 for a Dh100 contribution
1037 for a Dh300 contribution
1038 for a Dh500 contribution
Larger donations can be made to the campaign’s call centre on 800 4999.
Last month, the UN refugee agency appealed for a major push for donations to its refugee zakat fund, which channels money from Muslims into camps and communities across the Middle East and Asia.
Officials said overall donations for refugees had dwindled, as governments redirected money towards tackling the pandemic in their own countries.
The UNHCR has projected a global budget of $9.1bn to help meet the needs of refugees and the displaced in 2021.
Within that figure, $2.7bn is needed in countries where it will be distributing zakat, providing support to 24.2 million people in Jordan, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Mauritania, Egypt, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Iran, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Somalia.
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
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Name: The Protein Bakeshop
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Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
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