RM300,000 education aid for Rohingyas
THE Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, through the United Arab Emirates (UAE) embassy in Malaysia, presented education aid worth RM300,000 to students from the Rohingya community living in Malaysia yesterday.
The UAE ambassador Khalid Ghanim Al Ghaith said the foundation had been helping the Rohingya refugees in Malaysia since 2015, with humanitarian aid totalling about US$1 million (RM4.08 million).
“The aid was distributed in stages and this is the final year of aid distribution from this allocation. This time, we are focusing on education,” he said.
A ceremony was held at the Academy of Islamic Studies in Universiti Malaya yesterday to hand out education aid for primary students from five schools in the Klang Valley.
“The aid will benefit 708 students. They will receive school uniforms, school bags, stationery and sports attire, among others,” said Khalid.
The pupils came from five schools, namely Madrasah Anakanak Yatim dan Tahfiz Quran Hashimiyah, Al-Ikhlas School, TzuChi Foundation (Selayang)-Harmony School, Tzu-Chi Foundation (Ampang)-Unity School, and the Rohingya Education Centre in Gombak.
He said the foundation helped pupils from 18 schools, identified by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Malaysia.
Khalid said the UAE embassy was proud to work hand-in-hand with the Malaysian government to help the refugees.
“We would like to extend our gratitude to the Malaysian government for making it possible for us to help the refugees.
“The Khalifa Foundation is one of the foundations that provides assistance to the needy worldwide,” he said.
“Besides giving out aid, we are also helping the family members of the refugees to gain skills, so they are able to work.”
Khalid said other charity initiatives by the Khalifa Foundation in Malaysia included organising Iftar for Ramadan, giving out food baskets, as well as sponsoring Arabic teachers in Pahang.
He said the foundation would continue with its good deeds.
Meanwhile, the UNHCR representative to Malaysia Thomas Albrecht said the refugees valued education like everyone else and they, too, prioritised the opportunity for education.
He said education was a human right in itself and it empowered refugees to live a fulfilling life and become self-reliant.
“The UNHCR shoulders a unique challenge to ensure that no refugee children are without access to education. Refugees often forego education in their struggles for survival,” he said, adding that the assistance for education sent a signal that people cared about them.
Present were Social Welfare Department director-general Zulkifli Ismail, Khalifa Foundation representative Sahar Ali Alzaabi and Yayasan Kebajikan Negara chief executive officer Datin Paduka Che Asmah Ibrahim.