A new global initiative to treat children with severe, wasting (short term) malnutrition was announced this past week by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President of the United Arab Emirates. The global campaign is called “The 11.5: Edge of Life Ramadan campaign”, referring to the common measurement criteria of 11 1/2 centimeters of arm circumference used by aid agencies to identify malnourished children who are most at risk of death.
Announced February 13, 2026, the campaign, under the aegis of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) organization, will support and work through UNICEF, Save the Children, Action Against Hunger and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation.
The aim is to raise $270 million to meet the needs of five million children (out of 118 million malnourished children), and thereby save 2.6 million lives.
This continues Sheikh Mohammed’s tradition of launching annual humanitarian campaigns during Ramadan. Previous campaigns include the 10 Million Meals campaign in 2020, the 100 Million Meals campaign in 2021,
and the 1 Billion Meals campaign in 2022. A champion of humanitarian philanthropy, he had said “They hesitate, we move ahead. We are living proof that when human beings have the courage and commitment to transform a dream into reality, there is nothing that can stop them. Dubai is a living example of that.”
