AFP

DUBAI, Nov 26: The ruler of the wealthy Gulf emirate of Dubai has made a personal donation of 464 million dollars to a charity drive to help educate children in the world's poorest countries, the charity said on Sunday.

The pledge from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum boosted the final total raised by the Dubai Cares campaign to almost one billion dollars, the charity said in a statement.

Sheikh Mohammed launched the fundraising drive on September 19 with the aim of helping the United Nations reach its goal of providing primary education to every child by 2015.

"It is now a priority to ensure these funds are allocated in an efficient and appropriate manner," the statement quoted Sheikh Mohammed as saying during a ceremony to mark the end of the campaign.

"I have directed officials to manage the money and channel our contributions to educate millions of children around the world," he added.

A team from Dubai Cares travelled to Chad earlier this month to offer help in rehabilitating more than 100 children who were allegedly kidnapped by a group of French charity workers.

The campaign, which is due to be held again next year, included a charity auction which saw a shirt belonging to Sheikh Mohammed sold for 4.35 million dollars.

In May, Sheikh Mohammed, who is also vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, announced a 10-billion-dollar education fund to bridge what he called a wide knowledge gap between the Middle East and the developed world.

He said the foundation would establish research centres in the region and in 2008 would begin providing scholarships to leading universities around the world.