Abu Dhabi: The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has praised Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for her generous donation to alleviate the suffering of thousands of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh.

In a timely response to the humanitarian emergency in Bangladesh, Princess Haya donated some Dh1.4 Million ($384,525) to support the provision of core-relief items and temporary shelters for nearly 13,510 displaced Rohingya.

The donation comes at a time of a massive new wave of displacement of Rohingya fleeing acts of violence in Myanmar, with 420,000 refugees reaching Bangladesh since the end of August.

“We are very grateful to Princess Haya for her generous support to those in dire need of humanitarian aid and shelter. This support provides a critical lifeline for Rohingya refugees as they face this desperate crisis,” said Toby Harward, UNHCR’s Head of Office in the UAE.

Rohingya refugees have been making long harsh journeys to reach a safe haven, with many of them walking through jungles and mountains for several days, and thousands more who braving risky voyages across the Bay of Bengal.

The vast majority of refugees are women, including mothers with newborn babies, and families with children. They arrive in poor condition, exhausted, hungry and desperate for shelter

A few months ago, Princess Haya also made a generous contribution of approximately Dh4 million ($1.1 million) for the deployment of refugee housing units in Iraq, Niger, Cameroon, Algeria, Tunisia, and Mozambique. Additionally, Shaikh Mohammad and Princess Haya responded to the emergency in South Sudan earlier this year, by funding airlifts of core-relief items for South Sudanese refugees in Uganda.

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