UAE's 1 Billion Meals initiative begins distributing food items to 13 countries

The feat was achieved in less than three weeks since its launch

By Wam

Published: Thu 21 Apr 2022, 8:39 PM

Last updated: Thu 21 Apr 2022, 8:50 PM

The UAE's 1 Billion Meals initiative announced that it has started distributing food supplies in 13 countries in less than three weeks after its launch, at the beginning of Ramadan.

The initiative, organised by the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), has started distribution operations in cooperation with the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP), the Food Banking Regional Network (FBRN), the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment (MBRCH), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UAE Food Bank, and several local charity and humanitarian organizations in the beneficiary countries.

The 13 countries where distribution has begun are Nigeria, India, Sudan, Jordan, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Egypt, Tajikistan, Uganda, UAE, Kosovo, USA, and Albania utilizing the existing field and logistical networks of the initiative’s operational partners.

The initiative’s collaboration with UNHCR allows it to directly reach beneficiaries in in two countries – Nigeria, and India.

As part of its first distribution operations, food aid has reached beneficiaries in Nigeria’s Cross River State refugee camp for Cameroonians.

FBRN has started distributing long-term food items and food parcels with storable ingredients to the beneficiaries of the initiative in Sudan, Jordan, and Lebanon.

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For its part, MBRCH began distributing food aid to beneficiaries in Kyrgyzstan, Egypt, Tajikistan, and Uganda, in coordination with local authorities and relevant organizations.

The 1 Billion Meals initiative, the largest of its kind in the region, represents the values of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, which aims to involve everyone in charity and humanitarian work, including individuals and organisations from various sectors in the UAE and the world.