The Emirates Red Crescent, ERC, inaugurated a residential village in "Dali Komba" in Mauritania’s Hodh Region as part of its development initiatives in the country.
The village has 40 housing units, along with services facilities, a clinic, a school, a mosque and an artesian well.
The ERC’s projects in Mauritania aim to reinforce the efforts of the UAE and its leadership to develop and rebuild the country and provide for its basic requirements, under the monitoring of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the ERC.
The inauguration was attended by Hamad Ghanim Al Muhairi, UAE Ambassador to Mauritania, along with the ERC delegation present in the country, led by Salem Al Suwaidi while the Mauritanian delegation was represented by Khadigetou Mint Bouka, Minister of Housing, Urbanism and Land Planning, and other local officials.
The village was constructed from the proceeds of the seventh edition of the Ataya Exhibition held annually under the patronage of H.H. Sheikha Shamsa bint Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Nahyan, Assistant to the Chairman of the ERC for Women’s Affairs and Chairperson of the Higher Committee of the Ataya Initiative, who is the wife of Sheikh Hamdan.
The exhibition’s supreme committee chose the village of Dali Komba in Mauritania to restore its infrastructure, as it is suffering from a significant scarcity of basic and health services, and its residents face dire conditions.
Dr. Mohammed Ateeq Al Falahi, ERC Secretary-General, stated that Sheikh Hamdan has prioritised the ERC’s initiatives in Mauritania and directed the organisation to launch development projects, noting that Sheikh Hamdan has been monitoring the ERC’s projects in the country.
Al Falahi also highlighted the key role of the exhibition, under the patronage of Sheikha Shamsa, in assisting needy communities and helping them face their humanitarian issues.
He also stressed that the presidency of Sheikha Shamsa of the initiative’s supreme committee has been efficient and influential, and has added a strategic and sustainable dimension to many areas.
The exhibition has managed, in a short time, to help launch initiatives that improve the lives of many and reduce human suffering, Al Falahi added.
The humanitarian conditions faced by Mauritania have led to the suffering of the most vulnerable categories of people, especially refugees. Therefore, the ERC has worked hard to improve their conditions and support them through their dire circumstances.
The ERC is implementing its programmes in Mauritania in coordination with the UAE Embassy in Nouakchott and the Mauritanian Red Crescent, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the ERC in the field of humanitarian work.
During the inauguration, Mauritanian officials praised the UAE’s development work in their country, as well as its continuous efforts to support the Mauritanian people and enhance their humanitarian conditions.
They also stressed the importance of the residential village project, which will stabilise the lives of vulnerable families and offer infrastructure services to the area’s residents while thanking the ERC for implementing the project.