A total of 97,999 orphans, families, students and people of determination in 21 world countries have been sponsored by the Emirates Red Crescent until June 2017.

Of the total number, 95,927 are orphans,1097 families, 831 people of determination and 144 students, the sponsorship of whom has cost AED125,389,899 during the first half of 2017.

Palestine comes on top of the beneficiaries of the ERC Orphan Sponsorship Programme, with 14,298 supported by the UAE''s premier humanitarian aid provider in the occupied territories. Then come India with 12313 orphans, Egypt with 10,111, Iraq with 10,068, Sudan 8,791, Mauritania 5,429, Algeria 5,158, Bosnia 3,943, Albania 3,888, Somalia 3,782, Jordan 3,716, Kazakhstan 3,373, Ghana 2,497, Chad 2,193, Togo 1543, Thailand 931, Kirgizstan 927, Mali 541, and Ethiopia with 366 in addition to 2059 sponsored by the organisation inside the country.

"The Emirates Red Crescent, thanks to the follow-up of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in the Western Region and President of the ERC, has managed to go a long way with its Orphanage Sponsorship Programme and is progressively expanding humanitarian aid across the largest possible segments of beneficiaries thanks to the benevolence and generous efforts made by philanthropists and other supporters," said Fahad Abdul Rahman bin Sultan, ERC's Deputy Secretary-General.

"ERC is providing for orphans’ needs in areas of health, education, and social services thanks to a well-thought-out strategy adopted by the organisation to ensure best fulfilment of its objectives," he added.

He explained that the monthly sponsorship amounts to AED 300 inside the country and ranges around AED 150-200 outside.

Source: Wam