Expats And UAE Citizens Send Gifts Of Love To Syrian Children

Over 2,000

residents joined in the ‘From UAE With Love’ initiative taking place over last weekend.

The initiative was the brainchild of Dubai’s Ministry of Human Resources, aimed at giving boxes full of toys as well as letters of encouragement to underprivileged children in Syria and neighbouring countries. Over 2,000 expats and Emiratis took part, hoping to share joy and happiness for at least a short while to children suffering from war and violent unrest on their home countries. The UAE Red Crescent will deliver the boxes to where they feel they’re most needed.

Over 500 pupils from Sharjah’s Leaders Private School were the first to fill their boxes, with the school principal telling local media the initiative was a demonstration of how much young people in the UAE care for their counterparts caught up in the region’s war-torn states. Dubai’s Nord Anglia International School’s pupils and faculty members pledged over 1,500 boxes, with its principal Mathew Farthing saying that the more his students and teachers put the needs of those in desperate situation before their own needs, the more they can learn and achieve. This act of giving, he added, is witness to the school’s pupils and teachers’ commitment to a world in which poverty has been eradicated.

Residents and their children began arriving and dropping off their boxes at City Centre Murdif’s Central Galleria early on Saturday, with children’s fun activities taking place all day and into the evening. One Dubai citizen arrived with a trolley crammed with boxes, saying she was happy to be able to share some joy with children who desperately need a moment’s happiness. The initiative’s organisers are more than pleased at the success of the idea and the strong support received from the community, saying it’s proven to be a way to make donating accessible and easy.