Together We Stand

[ 110 ] of combating poverty and developing communities, providing disaster relief, empowering women and young people, and promoting cultural understanding through education. Alwaleed Philanthropies has already grown into a key player in the philanthropic arena with a global reach and stature. But following the prince’s announcement last year that he intends to pledge all his wealth for philanthropic purposes, our work continues to expand and develop. Looking around the world, it is clear that there has never been a greater need to tackle poverty, create opportunity and foster dialogue. We are, for example, already heavily involved in working with refugees to help raise awareness of their plight, including with United Nations agencies. It is hard, within one article, to give more than a snapshot of the work we support. But below we present examples of some of the most prominent work Alwaleed Philanthropies has carried out with its partners within its four overarching pillars. Tackling poverty and supporting communities Working across a broad spectrum of areas including health, education, infrastructure and social entrepreneurship, Alwaleed Philanthropies supports sustainable development projects to help disenfranchised communities across the globe. Alwaleed Philanthropies donated US$30 million to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support its campaign to eradicate polio worldwide. Announcing the partnership at the first Global Polio Eradication Initiative in Abu Dhabi, Prince Alwaleed said efforts would be focused on those countries where polio vaccines are subject to disputes or misunderstanding. As well as supporting efforts to fight disease globally, support is also given to tackle lesser-known diseases which can have a huge and disastrous impact locally. The Carter Centre was granted US$374,000 to work in Ethiopia to help eliminate Onchocerciasis, or river blindness — a para- sitic disease transmitted through the black fly which affects millions of people in Africa and Latin America. The support of Alwaleed Philanthropies has helped provide treatment for over a million people, towards the goal of combatting the disease in all areas in Ethiopia where it is endemic by 2020. Within Saudi Arabia, Alwaleed Philanthropies launched a programme to provide 10,000 housing units for its beneficiar- ies. In Egypt, in a unique partnership with the Misr Al Kheir Foundation, government departments and organizations, Alwaleed Philanthropies announced a groundbreaking project in 2015 to provide 10,000 housing units to families over 10 years. In 2014, the foundation partnered with the PalestinianMinistry of Agriculture, local councils and farmers to support agricultural projects that generate income for Palestinian communities. Disaster relief Alwaleed Philanthropies recognizes that it is the poorest who suffer the most when disaster strikes. In the wake of natural and man-made catastrophes, we connect with international organizations, and with local embassies and partners working on the ground, to bring vital relief to those in desperate need. When a powerful earthquake rocked Nepal in 2015, claiming more than 4,000 lives and causing widespread T ogether W e S tand