Call to collect 20 tonnes of clothes for Yemen

Dubai: A month-long campaign has been launched in the UAE to collect clothes for people in the war-affected areas of Yemen, organisers said on Sunday.

Launched on October 21 by Oasis Mall in collaboration with Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), ‘Clothes for Compassion’ is collecting clothes until November 21.

Sanjay Kapoor, general manager, Oasis Mall, told Gulf News that the drive, now in its third year, aims to collect and deliver more donations than has been collected in the last two years of the initiative. “As part of this year’s drive, we’re hoping to see greater participation from the local communities, with an aim to curtail the hardships in Yemen. We’re positively hoping to surpass last year’s collection of 18 tonnes by 20 per cent,” Kapoor said.

Last year, the campaign collected clothes for Syrian refugees in Jordan.

This year, the ‘Clothes for Compassion’ donation drive kick-started with Babyshop donating 5,000 pieces of children’s garments worth Dh250,000 towards the cause.

Ruban Shanmugarajah, general manager of Babyshop, highlighted the brand’s full support to the ‘Clothes for Compassion’ initiative and this year’s “worthy cause”. “Children are often caught in the middle of wars, and we wanted to reach out and support the cause in the best way we can,” Shanmugarajah said.

Donors can make their contributions at the mall’s collection points, before they are delivered to the ERC for final distribution to Yemeni people in need.

Mohammad Abdullah Al Haj Al Zarouni, manager of the Dubai branch of ERC, pointed out the charity’s collaboration with Oasis Mall for the third consecutive year continues to support various initiatives across the world where relief operations, shelter, financial support, medical and educational support are required. “This time it’s to support the people of Yemen,” he said.

The drive also aims to support UAE Red Crescent’s ‘Yemen We Care’ campaign, which will manage the delivery and distribution process. The ERC’s humanitarian campaign aimed to help more than 10 million people affected by the unfolding crisis in Yemen, and is still accepting and delivering donations