ERC implements projects as part of Sheikha Fatima's initiative to improve living standards in Yemen

ABU DHABI, 29th February, 2016 (WAM) - The Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) has completed work on a project to supply water to a number of villages in Yemen, and launched a vocational programme to provide sewing machines to Yemeni women to assist them earn their living. The twin projects were the eighth and ninth of 15 development projects being implemented, per the directives of H.H. Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union (GWU), Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Honorary Chairwoman of the ERC, to improve healthcare, educational and sheltering services to those affected by the ongoing events in Yemen. ERC officials said the water project would mainly serve thousands of families in villages in the south of Yemen, which has suffered acute shortages of water. ''The ERC has drilled a number of wells and equipped them with solar-powered pumps to connect with the water network,'' officials added. Further, they said the project would continue on, providing water to other villages. As for the vocational training project, ERC officials said it aims to provide free sewing machines and raw materials to women and girls, to help them earn a sustainable living and cope with the difficult circumstances they are facing. The first phase, they explained, would serve 300 beneficiaries in the Governorate of Lahj, whose products would also benefit internally displaced women in other governorates. The ERC further said in a press release that work on other projects within Sheikha Fatima's initiative were progressing satisfactorily, noting that these projects have been carefully planned to serve the best interests of the Yemeni people. Beneficiaries of the two projects expressed their profound gratitude to Sheikha Fatima for her care, in seeking to alleviate their suffering and improve their living, social and economic conditions. – Emirates News Agency, WAM - http://www.wam.ae/en/news/emirates/1395292175691.html