COVID-19 did not curtail Kuwait’s humanitarian efforts
Total lockdown made no exception to continue supporting those in need
KUWAIT: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Kuwait announced yesterday its collaboration with Kuwaiti social media influencer, Bader AlEssa, to raise awareness on the current situation of refugees, highlight their successful entrepreneurship stories, and amplify its Ramadan campaign “Every gift counts” (Khayrak Yefraq), to youth in Kuwait.
The campaign was launched in the beginning of Ramadan by UNHCR in partnership with Tanmeia Charity and was heavily boosted by Bader Al-Essa on his social media platforms to acquaint Kuwaiti youth with the effects of COVID19 on refugees and UNHCR’s humanitarian response.
“The generous support of Kuwait never fails to surprise us. In less than a month, UNHCR have collected donations that would support five percent of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh,”said Nader El-Nakib, Head of UNHCR’s Private Sector Partnerships Department in Kuwait. “By no means, Kuwaiti youth have proven their humanitarian DNA by supporting our campaign. I would like to thank Bader Al Essa for offering his social media platforms to highlight the entrepreneurial success stories of Refugees. This cooperation will go beyond the Ramadan campaign,” added Nakib.
In another statement, Bader Al-Essa has stressed on the importance of youth engagement in humanitarian causes and utilizing his social media platform as a tool to showcase the current status of refugees to his followers.
“With the numbers of refugees increasing on daily basis and the unmet dire needs of the most vulnerable populations, the general public are becoming numb to the cause given that it has been an ongoing crisis for the past years,” explained Essa. “I believe that the Arab population need to find a glimpse of hope and be well acquainted of the refugee situation so we can revive the cause and collectively support those who are currently affected by the situation,” added Essa.
The campaign supports the education, food, water, and healthcare programs provided by UNHCR to refugees in Rohingya and Syria. The collaboration between UNHCR and Bader Al-Essa included a series of Instagram LIVE interviews showcasing the needs of refugees, particularly in Lebanon.