Dubai Cares and Save the Children provide lifesaving food aid in Ethiopia

The Ethiopia initiative marks an expansion in the scope of an existing partnership between Dubai Cares and Save the Children which was announced in April and has, to date, supported primary education programmes in Sudan and Yemen.

Dubai Cares is partnering with Save the Children to initiate emergency nutrition programs to aid tens of thousands of malnourished Ethiopian children and women in drought-ridden regions, specifically the Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples Region, Oromiya and Somalia Regional State.

Dubai Cares' support will help enable Save the Children to provide key health and nutrition aid through its innovative community-based therapeutic care (CTC) sites. By establishing eight CTCs, Save the Children will reach nearly 26,000 moderately malnourished children and 4,900 severely malnourished children under the age of 5 in these regions. The program will also reach 21,600 pregnant or lactating mothers.

Her Excellence Reem Al Hashimy, U.A.E. Minister of State and chairperson of Dubai Cares board of directors, said:

"We are committed to providing emergency relief to the people of Ethiopia during this time of great need. The escalating food crisis triggered by a growing drought and rising food prices has put large numbers of Ethiopian children and their families at risk."

"This partnership with Dubai Cares is significant," said Margaret Schuler, Save the Children's country director in Ethiopia. "It will allow Save the Children to access critically needed food commodities to support the needs of thousands of children in Ethiopia who are the most dramatically impacted by the current food crisis. We greatly appreciate the support."

Since its launch, Dubai Cares has established itself as a fully transparent, multilateral, non-profit organization, operating based on international best-practices for foundations worldwide to ensure financial transparency. The charitable organization has positioned itself as a strategic coordinator actively engaged with international aid agencies to develop primary education programs and to ensure immediate impact on the ground. It is the largest charitable establishment solely devoted to improving primary education in the world.

Dubai Cares has prioritized its phase one grants to countries that demonstrate the highest gap in primary education. Earlier this year, Dubai Cares announced 12 beneficiary countries including Bangladesh, Bosnia, Chad, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Maldives, Mauritania, Niger, Pakistan, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Sudan and Yemen, as well as Palestinian refugees (in Lebanon and Jordan).

Save the Children is the leading independent organization creating lasting change for children in the United States and around the world. For more than 75 years, Save the Children has been helping children survive and thrive by improving their health, education and economic opportunities and, in times of acute crisis, mobilizing lifesaving assistance to help children recover from the effects of war, conflict and natural disasters.