Mogadishu,6th Nov.2002(WAM)
By Banadir.com

A delegation from the UAE Red crescent Society, RCS, last night ended its visit to Somalia, where they distributed relief assistance to the Somalian people in line with the directives of President H.H. Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan and H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

The delegation, headed by Ahmed Saddiq Al Khaja, the Assistant Director for RCS' Relief Department, distributed a large quantity of food items to the Somalian needy and the poor, including widows, orphans and the handicapped, in more than 15 areas within and outside the Somalian capital, Mogadishu. More than 15,000 families benefited from the 200 tons of food supplies, distributed in the form of food parcels of 50 kilos per parcel and flown by air to Mogadishu under the follow up of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, who is also the Chairman of the RCS.

The delegation also toured a number of places including refugee camps for internally displaced persons, affected by more than a decade of civil war, drought and famine. They also visited a number of schools, medical centres and orphanages, being sponsored by the UAE RCS.

Somalian officials thanked Sheikh Zayed and the UAE people for the gesture and for their continuous support for the Somalian people. They prayed to God to grant him good health and long life, and the UAE and its people more progress and prosperity.

The RCS, through it Mogadishu office, had built orphanages, which house about 200 orphans, in addition to sponsoring 600 orphans in the Somalian capital. The office has also built six schools and 179 mosques with a total capacity of 133,600 worshippers, in addition to the construction of 21 Quran memorisation centres, which house 1,690 students and the drilling of 148 water wells which serve over 24,250 people.

Another charity work that is being sponsored by the RCS is the opening of seven centres for breaking of fasting throughout the month of Ramadan. More than 21,000 Muslims are expected to benefit from the facility. Through those centres, the RCS will distribute at the end of Ramadan Zakat el Fitr (charity) and clothing for the Eid el Fitr to the poor and the needy. WAM/SA