The role of Mohammed bin Rashid in saving the African continent from famine 40 years ago

In 1985, while broadcasting the “Live Aid” party to confront starvation in Ethiopia, the event was threatened with failure, as the volume of donations collected did not exceed ten thousand pounds.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum intervened and donated a million pounds, which gave a strong boost to the campaign, and restored the enthusiasm of the donors around the world

The total donations of more than 150 million pounds increased, becoming one of the largest relief campaigns in history.

According to British diplomatic correspondence, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid continued the ceremony while he was in his council in London, and when he announced his donation, he left the organizers in a state of astonishment and doubt in the beginning, before the donation was confirmed through an official contact with His Highness’s office in London.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid donated at the time not merely financial support, but rather was a leadership position that strengthened the role of Dubai and the Arab world in the international humanitarian scene.