Big Heart Campaign A year after being appointed the UN High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) eminent advocate for refugee children, Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al Qasimi's Big Heart Campaign, founded to raise funds for Syrian refugee children, is going from strength to strength.
From May 25-31, a massive fund-raising drive will be held at the Mirdiff City Centre in Dubai with a range of fun-filled activities for humanitarians, families and philanthropists.
It will add to the money raised over the past year, which has touched hundreds of thousands of Syrian lives by providing emergency healthcare, warm clothing, blankets, shelter, food and other relief. About half a million Syrians have benefited from the generosity of the campaign's contributors in the UAE and other countries, but a lot more still needs to be done.
According to the UNHCR and Unicef, approximately 1.2 million Syrian children have fled the country, while a further three million are suffering inside Syria.
Sheikha Jawaher, wife of His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, explained why this is the most important fundraiser the campaign has organised so far.
"We have spent a year touching the lives of half a million young Syrian refugees,” she said. "The generosity of our donors has enabled us to provide food, shelter and medical treatment for refugee children, but now it is time to educate them.”
Sheikha Jawaher said schools don't just teach children to read and write, they "empower them to write a happy ending to their life stories”.
Nearly 1.2 million Syrian refugee children are out of school, but with everyone's help the number and the suffering can be reduced.
Since its inception in June 2013, the Big Heart Campaign has achieved numerous milestones: Donating Ramadan packages, blankets for the sub-zero winter and partnering with other humanitarian organisations like the Red Crescent UAE.
Education is close to Sheikha Jawaher's heart and she has visited the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan to meet Syrian mothers and children, getting first-hand information on the number of teachers, schools and books required in the camp.
Source: Khaleej Times