Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation Collaborates with Dubai Charity Association for Relief Efforts in Africa under Salma Relief Program

Dubai-UAE - 16 February 2016 - As part of its ongoing efforts under the Salma Relief Program to provide Halal meals to help people in conflict and disaster zones around the world, Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF) has collaborated with the Dubai Charity Association (DCA), a leading charitable organization that carries out humanitarian activities within and outside the country.

As part of the cooperation, a batch of 41,600 Halal meals have been handed over to DCA for distribution in Nigeria, Togo, and Burkina Faso in the African continent.

Speaking on the latest efforts under the Salma Relief Program, His Excellency Tayeb Al Rais, Secretary General of Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation in Dubai, said: "Several people in Africa live in very dire conditions. As reputed institutions with resource capabilities, it is our responsibility to show our solidarity and support them in times of need until the return of stability in their countries - regardless of the causes of the crises."

Al-Rais added: "The Salma Relief Program is an initiative based on delivering food-based assistance to war-torn and disaster hit areas of the world leveraging the principles of Awqaf. Under the visionary leadership of the UAE Government, it has today emerged as a global project that extends throughout the world and enhances the position of the UAE and Dubai as leaders in providing humanitarian aid.”

Al-Rais said the Foundation through the Salma Relief Program is keen to collaborate with other government organizations in carrying out relief work across the globe. AMAF also seeks to strengthen the relief efforts of other humanitarian organizations and agencies working to provide assistance to afflicted populations.

For his part, Ahmed Mismar, Secretary General of the Dubai Charity Association, said: "We are delighted to partner with AMAF and the Salma Relief Program - one of the definitive global initiatives of its kind in the world – that has strengthened Dubai's position as a leader in humanitarian work. The scope of this collaboration is to provide aid to the suffering people in the African continent.”

He added: “Nigeria today is reeling under the impact of terrorism, while Burkina Faso and Togo are faced with a deteriorating humanitarian situation that has led to the displacement of tens of thousands people and pushed them into acutely traumatic living conditions. We hope through the support of AMAF and like-minded organizations in Dubai to alleviate their suffering to the extent possible through the distribution of Halal meals."

Mismar reiterated that humanitarian organizations in the UAE like the AMAF and DCA are making concerted efforts to provide timely aid and relief to affected people within and outside the country.

The Salma Relief Program was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in July 2014. Cutting across color, race and religion, the Salma Relief Program is considered one of the core components of Dubai’s efforts to emerge as the Capital of Islamic Economy.

Salma was chosen as the name for the program in honour of the UAE nurse Salma Al Sharhan (1934-2014), who dedicated her life to the care and support of those in need through her work in rural areas in Ras Al Khaimah. The program embodies the humanitarian values held by Salma Al Sharhan and articulates the UAE’s commitment to endorsing the Islamic cultural tenets of peace and charity.