• 22 June 2015

Dubai Cares today launched its Ramadan campaign 2015 at an exclusive function themed "Empowerment through Education", a corporate event that brought together influential speakers from the UAE and across the globe. The Dubai Cares 'We Can Teach Each Other' Ramadan campaign emphasizes the abundance of talent and resourcefulness amongst children in developing countries, as well as the responsibility of the international community to help empower these children through education. The campaign looks at a sample of children from different contexts in developing countries who showcase their life skills and aptitudes through making crafts such as wearable items and toys using various simple material such as disposable bags, old shoes, plastic and clothes, as well as natural resources such as tree leaves and twigs. The unique campaign aims to promote a first-of-a-kind skill exchange between children in impoverished communities and school-going children from around the world.

Anchored by tutorial-style 'how to' videos presenting the unique capabilities these children have gained within their environments over the years, each campaign video concludes with a message urging the community to empower the children by teaching them to read – providing them with education - through donating to Dubai Cares programs during the holy month of Ramadan.

Speaking about this year's campaign, Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares said: "Whether they are from the UAE or a developing community anywhere around the world, children are born with an innate desire to learn. Learning through playing and exploration, children find innovative ways to absorb new content and learn from their surrounding environment, thus building their creativity and confidence. However, millions of children are unable to complement their learning journey with basic literacy and numeracy, which form the foundation of their academic learning. As global citizens, it is our responsibility to help them harness this potential so that they can advance despite the handicaps induced by poverty, such as lack of resources and opportunities. Through the 'We Can Teach Each Other' Ramadan campaign, we aim to demonstrate the capabilities of these children while highlighting the creativity, curiosity and value that they can bring when given the right skills through education."

The campaign also features the organization's biggest social media campaign to date - #IsFor. It drives the creation of the first Instagram Alphabet book with the support of the UAE community. Residents of the UAE and people around the world are encouraged to post photographs of objects whose words start with each letter of the alphabet, such as an image of an apple and a description of "A #IsFor Apple" or an image of a bike "B #IsFor Bike" or a picture of a train "T #IsFor Train", while also tagging #DubaiCares. As the campaign comes to an end, Dubai Cares will collate many of the images along with the profile pictures and usernames of the users who shared them in an Instagram Alphabet book, which will be distributed in English, Arabic and French in some of the organization's beneficiary countries. Dubai Cares annual mall activity at The Dubai Mall is also supporting the creation of the book, giving shoppers a convenient way to donate during Ramadan.

"We are very excited about this campaign, especially since the content of the book will be community-sourced and created by the people of the UAE. As a tool that will benefit children around the world, we encourage every resident and visitor to get involved. We believe this is something that gives our supporters a real sense of ownership and contribution – a sense of giving more than just money. The process is underpinned by interaction, empathy and connectivity, which is exactly what we look to foster through our programs," concluded Al Gurg.

The Dubai Cares Ramadan campaign 2015 was launched during an exclusive corporate event titled "Empowerment through Education", which featured three high profile speakers comprising H.E. Reem Al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State, Managing Director of Expo 2020 Higher Committee and Chairperson of Dubai Cares, Jim Ziolkowski, President and CEO of buildOn and Chernor Bah, Former Chairman of the Youth Advocacy Group for the United Nations Secretary-General's Global Education First Initiative, who came together to share their expert opinions on the role corporate philanthropy can play in promoting the ideals of universal education.

The talk-style event served as a platform to emphasize the importance of investing in impactful, sustainable and scalable development programs in the field of education, while highlighting the long-term benefits and ripple effect that educating a child has on the larger community. Referencing their personal and professional experiences, the speakers discussed the gravity of the education crisis and underscored the urgency and efficacy needed to respond to it in a timely manner.

The campaign this year received support from a number of Patrons that included – Al Barari, Al Tayer Group, CitiBank, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Dubai Investments, First Gulf Bank, Majid Al Futtaim, Lulu Hypermarket, Paris Gallery, Schön Properties, and Societe Generale Group - with each making a direct financial pledge to Dubai Cares. It also received the generous support of Zainal Mohebi Holdings, who sponsored Dubai Cares Ramadan Campaign TV commercial as well as the support of Emirates Islamic, which sponsored this year's mall activity at The Dubai Mall. Other campaign supporters included Arabian Radio Network (ARN), Choithrams, Etisalat, Hills Advertising, Integral Shopper, J. Walter Thompson (JWT), Jive Events, Jumeirah Group, Landmark Group, Modhesh World, Mindshare, Muddville Productions, Nando's, Oasis Water, Optimum Media Direction (OMD), The Dubai Mall and Vox Cinemas.

Over the past seven years, Dubai Cares, with the support of the UAE community, has been facilitating change and development in children's education in developing communities around the globe. Dubai Cares programs are currently reaching 13 million beneficiaries in 39 developing countries.

How can you support?

  • Donating via SMS by sending the word "donation" to 9030, 9090, 9300, 9600 and 9900 to donate AED 30, AED 90, AED 300, AED 600 or AED 900 respectively through our Official Telecom Partner Etisalat
  • Donating at our mall activity at the Waterfall Atrium in The Dubai Mall from June 16 to July 6 3
  • Making online donations at www.dubaicares.ae
  • Conducting personal fundraising activities in support of Dubai Cares through www.justgiving.com/dubaicares. "Just Giving" is an online charity platform where people can raise money for a cause
  • Making a direct financial donation through bank deposit to Dubai Cares' account or with a cheque addressed to Dubai Cares
  • Dropping your contributions at donation boxes placed in various locations throughout Dubai.

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