Not everyone who has a private jet uses it for reasons this charitable…

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and Vice President of the UAE, is known for his humanitarian efforts – and his latest act is no exception.

The royal has used his private cargo jet to send Dhs1.3 million of emergency supplies to a cyclone-hit Haiti, and his wife flew on board to Haiti to personally ensure everything was distributed to plan.

Sheikh Mohammed loaded his 747B-400 with 90 metric tonnes of aid and sent it to the Caribbean island, where 300,000 residents are currently living in temporary shelters after their homes were destroyed by Hurricane Matthew.

The deadly tropical cyclone ripped through the US, Central America, the Caribbean and some of South America over the last fortnight, and has affected around 1.4 million Haitians alone.

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، فالبلد بحاجة للكثير. نحن كعرب، من كثر القتال في منطقتنا من المفروض أن نكون مفلسين. 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 a certain extent, it is also about what is given. We, as Arabs, should be bankrupt. We fight on every front, and we have our own to feed and shelter. But please, if I can 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 photo posted by Haya Bint Al Hussein (@hrhprincesshaya) on

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Among the US$350,000-worth of supplies sent on Sheikh Mohammed’s plane are water purification units, mosquito nets, medical supplies, tents and other support equipment, which are estimated to help around 340,000 islanders.

لقد كان لي الشرف بتلبية دعوة قداسة البابا فرنسيس بمقابلته في الفاتيكان، وذلك كجزء من زيارة رسمية إلى روما استمرت ليوم واحد. وخلال اجتماعنا، ناقشنا بإيجاز محنة الجياع في العالم، وأطلعته على نجاح المدينة العالمية للخدمات الإنسانية بدبي تحت توجيهات صاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن راشد آل مكتوم. كما حدثته عن المبادرتين اللتين أطلقهما سموه مؤخراً – الأولى هي “جائزة الشيخ محمد بن راشد للتسامح”، والثانية هي “المعهد الدولي للتسامح” الذي يعدّ الأول من نوعه في العالم العربي. وأنا سعيدة جداً بهذه الفرصة التي أتيحت لي للقاء قداسته I had the honor of being invited to meet His Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican, as part of a one-day official visit to Rome. During our meeting, we briefly discussed the plight of the world’s hungry, and I briefed Him about the success of Dubai’s International Humanitarian City under the direction of HH Sheikh Mohammed. I also told Him about His Highness’ recently launched initiatives – the first being the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Award for Tolerance, and the second, the International Institute of Tolerance, the first of its kind in the Arab world. I am incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity.

A photo posted by Haya Bint Al Hussein (@hrhprincesshaya) on

As the Port-au-Prince-bound plane refuelled in Rome, HRH Princess Haya bint Al Hussein joined the mission (she’d just had a one-to-one with Pope Francis about how to end world hunger).

Princess Haya also visited Haiti after the horrendous 7.0-magnitude earthquake of 2010, which decimated the island and left tens of thousands dead (the official death toll is still in dispute).

كانت الأحوال الجويه في هايتي صعبة ، حيث كانت الأجواء ممطرة بغزارة. ولكن كانت المفاجئة لحظة فتح أبواب الطائرة، جيش حفظ السلام الأردني الذي تلقانا بتحية خاصة لصاحب السمو الشيخ محمد بن راشد ال مكتوم وشعب دولة الإمارات العربية المتحدة. لقد كنت فخورة برؤيتهم، وقد عبرو عن فخرهم لوصول المساعدات الانسانية من الدول العربيّة بهذه الضخامة تقدم آلى هايتي As we began to descend for landing in Haiti, we were hit by a huge storm. And as they opened the doors of the plane it was lashing rain. But I had the most wonderful welcome ever, the Jordanian Peace Keepers. I was so proud to see them, and they took such good care of me and our party throughout our stay. These brave men sent special greetings to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed, and to the people of the UAE. They asked me to say that they were very proud to see an Arab country send such a huge airlift to Haiti, where they are serving.

A photo posted by Haya Bint Al Hussein (@hrhprincesshaya) on

Hurricane Matthew is estimated to have killed between 500 and 1,300 people according to the latest reports.

Thousands still have limited or no access to clean water, education or adequate nutrition – however the UAE’s shipment, organised by the International Humanitarian City per the instruction of Sheikh Mohammed, hopes to change that.

The United Nations Humanitarian Response Depot and partners including Save the Children, Handicap International, World Vision International, Catholic Relief Services, USAID and Lutheran World Relief, all donated to the relief mission.

Princess Haya documented the trip on her Instagram account, revealing that the team were stuck by a storm as they prepared to land on the island.

She also shared images of military officers helping locals across a flooded street.

“The Peacekeepers we Arabs send abroad are the people that fight hardest for our values. They make us who we are today,” the royal wrote.

Princess Haya also paid tribute to her husband and his charitable efforts in a statement on Saturday, calling him “the person who has made the biggest impact on the global humanitarian scene”.

“While he has a deep passion for giving the best possible life to his people he is also keen to share some of the gains of the country’s progress with the less fortunate around the world. His contributions have not been limited by politics, geography, race, colour or religion,” she said in an article on mediaoffice.ae.

“He is passionate about helping those who need it and puts that passion into practice whenever he can.”

Indeed, this isn’t the first huge aid shipment organised by Sheikh Mohammed.

He sent more than 100,000 tonnes of supplies to Uganda last month, to help 60,000 South Sudanese refugees that had fled bloody conflict in their native country.

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Images: mediaoffice.ae, Instagram/HRH Princess Haya