Eid Charity organised yesterday in Istanbul the International Conference on Women’s Humanitarian Work under the theme “The reality of women in humanitarian work...challenges and hopes.”
The two-day event brings together more than 60 charitable organisations, in addition to dozens of women concerned with charitable work around the world.
The conference aims to focus on women’s role in humanitarian work and ways to develop their abilities in the field.
Addressing the conference Special Envoy of the Arab League Secretary General HE Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa bin Ahmed al-Thani said that charitable work was one of the ways to respond to human suffering in crises situations.
She noted that the absence of women from humanitarian work can actually compound disasters, especially for affected women and children.
The Arab League official praised the idea and organisation of the conference, adding that the event will play an important role in documenting the role of women in charitable and humanitarian work.
She referred to the history of women’s role in humanitarian work in the Arab world.
They were first present back when Palestinian refugees crossed the borders to Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria.
Sheikha Hessa highlighted the fact that women’s efforts in alleviating that crisis was not documented.
On the Syrian crisis, HE Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa al-Thani said that it was one of the worst crises in history.
This was backed up by statistics revealing that women and children represented the majority of refugees.
She added that such statistics emphasise the role that women can play to alleviate this particular humanitarian crisis.
For her part, head of Eid Charity women’s centre Amina Maarifiya said that women have a prominent role in creating strong and vibrant societies. She added that the participation of women in humanitarian work emphasises women’s role as an important and active part of society.