KUALA LUMPUR, May 8 (NNN-BERNAMA) — About 1,000 refugees of different nationalities from around the Klang Valley were feted to an iftar or breaking fast dinner organised by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation here, Tuesday night.
The UAE Ambassador to Malaysia, Khalid Ghanim Alghaith, launched the programme which included guests of different nationalities and ethnicities – such as Rohingya, Syrians, Yemenis, Somalis, Afghans, Sudanese and Palestinians – and they were regaled with excellent Middle Eastern cuisine.
Also present at the event was UAE Embassy deputy head of mission Nailofer AlBastaki as well as representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and HUMANiTi Malaysia, a non-governmental organisation whose President is former foreign minister Dr Syed Hamid Albar.
The Grand Iftar was coordinated by the UAE Embassy in collaboration with UNHCR and HUMANiTi Malaysia and held at the Qasar Balqis Restaurant in Ampang.
Speaking to Bernama International News Service, Ambassador Alghaith said this is the first of the many events organised by the Khalifa Foundation through the UAE Embassy here during the holy month of Ramadan.
“InshaAllah, we will continue throughout this month not only through the Khalifa Foundation but also through other UAE charities,” he said.
He added: “Khalifa Foundation has contributed significantly to alleviate the suffering of refugees in Malaysia. The humanitarian assistance was launched in 2016, and four stages of donation have been implemented. To date, thousands of Rohingya families and many schools have benefited from the donations.”
Apart from the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, other UAE organisations that have contributed to the people in Malaysia include the UAE Red Crescent, Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable & Humanitarian Foundation, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charitable & Humanitarian Foundation and Sharjah Charity International.
Prior to the holy month, the Khalifa Foundation had distributed food baskets and mattresses to 1,000 Rohingya families in the Klang Valley as part of the foundation’s Humanitarian Assistance programme for Rohingya Refugees in Malaysia, where US$1 million has been allocated since 2015.
The Khalifa Foundation was established by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan in July 2007, and has contributed US$1.206 billion in total for global assistance up till last year.
— NNN-BERNAMA