US is Major Recipient of Humanitarian Aid From the UAE

In an attempt to sway Americans’ low and undecided opinions about the United Arab Emirates, the UAE is providing millions of dollars of foreign aid to the US to rebuild schools and donate to nonprofits in storm-ravaged regions.

While the US is the largest provider of foreign aid, the UAE is writing checks for the US to help out where its own government does not provide enough assistance, the Washington Post reports.

“Tell me what you need,” a UAE embassy staffer working in Washington told a school official in Joplin, Mo., where a devastating tornado killed 161 people and destroyed six schools in 2011.

By building soccer fields and schools, donating to hospitals and nonprofit organizations, and helping in the Hurricane Sandy relief effort, the UAE is hoping to gain a better image among Americans.

Source

United Arab Emirates helps Joplin ‘think big’ in rebuilding tornado-scarred schools

Today, the nearly 2,200 high school students in Joplin each have their own UAE-funded MacBook laptop, which they use to absorb lessons, perform homework and take tests. Across the city, the UAE is spending $5 million to build a neonatal intensive-care unit at Mercy Hospital, which also was ripped apart by the tornado....During the past two years, the UAE government has paid for the construction of all-weather artificial turf soccer fields in low-income parts of New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Chicago. The embassy wants to build three more fields this year. Otaiba hopes to break ground on the first of them this spring in the Washington area, although the embassy is still in discussions with potential partners and has not settled on a location.

Otaiba said he also has promised New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo (D) and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) about $5 million apiece to help rebuild their jurisdictions in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.Source

This just seems a tad bit odd to me. Many of us have been complaining for years about the U.S. sending money in aid to other countries while ignoring the needs of its own citizens. It is wonderful that those that have the power use the money to help those less fortunate but we have our own issues to deal with first and foremost. Yes there are people starving all over the world but the U.S. has people starving as well is the opinion of a lot of citizens of the U.S. but the money continues to go out of our boarders. Now we have this, the AUE is doing the job of the united States Government in the form of aid to victims of natural disasters and needy communities. The assistance is needed and many are very grateful for it but because the U.S. is not taking care of their own and the AUE have stepped in I just can't shake the feeling that it is for different reasons other than to help. they state that they want to build better understandings of the AUE in the U.S. but is there more to it. Why are we being asked to see them as "Budy Budy"? Is there something in the works that we will be asked to back the AUE in the near future? They have been doing this(donating money) for a few years now so why now does it become public?

wait, so, we give UAE financial aid and then they give it back to us in the form of financial aid?
why don`t we just cut out the middle man and have our government just give us the financial aid?

Politicians are soooo stupid they have to complicate everything.

ETA: why are we even giving the UAE financial aid? aren`t they an OPEC oil producing country? why do they need financial aid from a bankrupt country like the U.S.?

reply to post by Agarta


Venezuela gives the equivalent of $465 million per year to the US, and they aren't even liked.

reply to post by superman2012


From your link...

"The CITGO-Venezuela Heating Oil Program has been one of the most important energy assistance efforts in the United States," CITGO CEO Alejandro Granado said at the Night of Peace Family Shelter in Baltimore, Maryland, where he and Citizens Energy Corporation Chairman Kennedy launched the 2013 program. "This year, as families across the Eastern Seaboard struggle to recover from the losses caused by Hurricane Sandy, this donation becomes even more significant."

Last year, President Barack Obama and Congress reduced Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) funding by 25 percent, cutting off an estimated one million US households from desperately needed assistance just as winter's worst chill, accompanied by record heating oil prices, set in. Fortunately, the CITGO-Venezuela Heating Oil Program was able to assist an estimated 400,000 Americans last year.

The second paragraph is just simply disgusting. It only goes to prove the U.S. Government is not looking out for its own people. I applaud those that work outside the system and this country for picking up the slack but this needs to be brought out and questioned by the people of the U.S.

Thanks for posting.

Does that mean america is a 4th world county taking donations from the third world countries lol funny

Originally posted by Tardacus
Politicians are soooo stupid they have to complicate everything.

Because it's easier to hide the money being skimmed off the top when it's complicated and swishing around the world.

Truly smart people who want to get away with stuff are much happier if others think they are stupid because they'll never decide to become smart enough to see through the facade.