The UAE was one of the first countries to send aid to Beirut following a horrific blast that tore the city apart.

Under the directive of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, 30 tonnes of medical supplies were sent to the Lebanese capital the day after the explosion. Now the UAE is stepping up once again to support families of the victims.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in Al Dhafra Region and chairman of Emirates Red Crescent has instructed the organisation to sponsor orphans who lost their parents and “care for the families of the deceased and the victims of the Beirut Port explosion”.

The aim of the sponsorship is to oversee all of their basic needs and support them in rebuilding their homes, many of which have been destroyed to their bare foundation.

The first step is to identify the children in need of support which has been left in the hands of The ERC and the Humanitarian Aid Office of the UAE Embassy in Beirut.

“Sheikh Hamdan has been monitoring the situation on the ground since the explosion and its affect on people, and is in constant contact with the ERC’s executive management to follow the progress of relief operations,” said Dr Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi, secretary-general of the ERC, in a statement.

There have been several initiatives in place to support victims of the blast that has killed over 200 people, injured thousands and left many homeless. The UAE Volunteers programme will be sending aid from now until and August 25 and will start shipping material to Lebanon for reconstruction from August 15 until September 12. They are even recruiting qualified engineers for the second phase of the ‘From UAE and For Lebanon’ initiative.

Find out how you can help the people of Beirut here.

– For more about Dubai’s lifestyle, news and fashion scene follow Emirates Woman on Facebook and Instagram

Images: Instagram