Dubai Cares chaired the first in a series of roundtable forums on the link between water and sanitation and primary education programmes in developing countries. Held in New York City from 20 -21 January 2009, the roundtable defined statistical indicators on the proposed link and discussed the creation of an agreed unified programme model. The Dubai-based charity was joined by its current and potential partners UNICEF, Save the Children, Oxfam, Care International and WaterAid for the 2-day forum.

By mid 2009, Dubai Cares will launch a global awareness campaign to promote the inclusion of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in all primary education programmes and budgets.

Launched in 2007 by the Ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Cares has raised AED 3.4 billion (US$ 926 million = € 713 million) to improve primary education in developing countries. The charity’s programmes address the four pillars of the primary school education value chain: infrastructure, water & sanitation, health & nutrition, and quality. Dubai Cares works in: Bangladesh, Bosnia, Chad, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Maldives, Mauritania, Niger, Pakistan, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Sudan and Yemen, as well as Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan.

Contact for media enquiries: Omar Shehadeh, Dubai Cares, UAE, omar.shehadeh@dubaicares.ae

Related web sites: Dubai Cares ; WASH in Schools

Source: MENewsWire, 22 Jan 2009

Tags: financing, school sanitation