Dubai Sheikh Sends Haiti £300,000 Of Aid In His Private Jet

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Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, has just sent £300,000 worth of aid to Haiti in his private jet.

After the Caribbean island was ravaged by the Category Four Hurricane Matthew last week, The Emir of Dubai has contributed to the relief efforts.

He sent 90 tonnes of emergency supplies to the people of Haiti in his own personal Boeing 747.

The Sheikh was unable to accompany the aid team to Haiti himself (thus, I’m unable to make a perhaps inappropriate joke about these goddamn Sheikhs on these goddamn planes).

However, the Sheikh’s wife, HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein was charged with personally overseeing the aid from United Arab Emirates was delivered safely.

She documented the much publicised journey through Instagram.

The relief mission sent tents, mosquito nets, medical supplies and water purification units.

هناك صورة واحدة لن أنساها أبداً عند تفكيري بهايتي. في عام 2010 قد رأيت الدمار الذي حصل فقط لأني كنت في بعثة مع ال-IHC، في نفس الطائرة التي أتيت بها اليوم. واليوم أيضاً قد تم تدمير الأرواح. نحن كعرب أرهقنا من الإضطرابات في المنطقة. فنحن نقاتل في جميع الجبهات وبنفس الوقت لدينا مجتمعنا الخاص لإطعامهم وإيوائهم. وخلال كل ذلك،لا يزال هناك بيننا الخيرين الذين ينظمون الإغاثة للمحتاجين من جميع أنحاء العالم. ولكن من فضلكم يجب أن أقول لكم عن التأثير الذي أدى إليه العطاء الذي أتى من بلدي الإمارات وشعبي الاردني…إنه الإحساس بالهوية والإعتزاز الذي أتى من الأخرين. ولكنني ممتنة لذلك. شكراً Airwing، للتحليق بنا ليس فقط في هايتي ولكن في كل مكان. شكراً للملائكة في وزارة الشؤون الخارجية والدولة الذين كانو حاضرين طوال الوقت من خلال الهاتف من دبي. شكراً لهيئة الأركان IHC والمجلس. وشكراً للشيخ محمد. وشكراً لبلدي الذي وصل لجميع أنحاء العالم للمساعدة في أشد الأوقات. سوف أنهي مع صورة واحدة من هذه الرحلة لن أنساها أبداً One image will forever be in mind, when I think of Haiti. I have seen in 2010, the devastation caused, and it was only because I was on an IHC envoy. The same cargo plane I came in today. Again today lives have been erased. It is all about what the country needs, but to an extent, it is also about what is given. We, as Arabs, are so fatigued from all the turmoil in the region. We fight on every front, and we have our own to feed and shelter. And through it all, there are still the good among us who are organizing aid relief to others around the world who also need our help. If I could just tell you the sense of humility I knew because my country the UAE had given and my people the Jordanians are there fighting…. it's a sense of identity and pride that others have given me. And I am thankful for it. Thank you Airwing, for flying us, not just to Haiti but everywhere. Thank you, to the angels in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and State who were my angels, ever present over the phone in Dubai to check all was well. Thank you to the IHC Staff and Board. And thank you, Your Highness Sheikh Mohammed. And thank you my country, you reached across the globe and proved when times are hard you are there. I will end with one image of this trip I will never forget.

A post shared by Haya Bint Al Hussein (@hrhprincesshaya) on

The Princess was met by Jordanian peacekeepers after the plane flew through a bad storm, reflecting just of fraction of the horrors the people of Haiti must’ve experienced during Hurricane Matthew.

Once the Princess arrived, she documented the destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew.

As Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, battled to recover from the 2010 earthquake and an ongoing cholera outbreak, Hurricane Matthew wreaked havoc across the island on Monday.

Tragically, the death toll has reached over 1000 and 300,000 Haitians have been displaced after the tropical storm destroyed their homes and livelihoods.

Many are now living in temporary shelters.

The UN has estimated that 1.4 million people in Haiti require urgent assistance and have put out an appeal for $120 million (£98 million).

While we hope more countries follow suit and rally around to help the Haiti relief effort, our thoughts are with the families who have lost their homes and loved ones.