Dubai Cares is calling on the UAE community to support the organization's 'We Can Teach Each Other' Ramadan campaign 2015 by advocating and donating towards education. The campaign, which was launched to emphasize the abundance of talent and resourcefulness amongst children in developing countries, is a call to action to the international community to empower underprivileged children around the world by providing them with access to quality education.
Speaking about the support that the campaign is receiving this year, Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares said: "'We Can Teach Each Other' is a campaign that promotes a powerful message: children have a natural inclination to learn and we have a responsibility to develop that. Education offers children the tools to grow these skills and emerge as successful creators, innovators or scientists, who can facilitate strong change. From the level of support we have received so far, the UAE community is fully in tune with this message. We have received resounding support from organizations as well as individuals, and we urge more contributors to consider education as a worthwhile cause to support this Ramadan."
Dubai Cares has instituted a number of installations across the city to garner community support. Furthermore, the organization has also activated donation via SMS and digital platforms to enable residents to contribute during the holy month. Retail outlets as well as hospitality brands have come on board as partners in raising funds for Dubai Cares' programs in the developing world.
The retail industry is driving donations by offering shoppers diverse avenues to contribute: the Landmark Group's retail brands such as Splash, Home Centre, Lifestyle and Centrepoint offer the provision of adding a donation of AED 5 or more to the bill of sale. Also, for every AED 100 and AED 250 Gift Card sold at Centrepoint during Ramadan, Centrepoint will donate AED 1 and AED 2 respectively to Dubai Cares. In addition, Chalhoub Group is raising funds through the sale of the "Gift of Giving" pins with proceeds being donated to Dubai Cares.
Shoppers can also donate at any Choithrams supermarket by purchasing a product carrying a Red sticker, which will automatically direct a percentage of the sale price to Dubai Cares. Integral Shopper is also supporting Dubai Cares for the third consecutive year by donating AED 1 for every Instant Cash Discount Coupon redeemed at Lulu stores across the UAE.
In addition to Dubai residents, holidaymakers, weekenders, business tourists and staycationers can also contribute to the campaign by booking rooms at Jumeirah Group. For every room night booked during Ramadan at Burj Al Arab, Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Madinat Jumeirah, Jumeirah Group will donate AED 10 to Dubai Cares. Popular with residents and tourists alike, At The Top, Burj Khalifa is donating AED 1 for every souvenir purchased at their retail outlet and shall continue this initiative until the end of July.
Popular food chain Nandos is also supporting Dubai Cares by directing 100 per cent of the proceeds from the sale of "All Together Now Platters" throughout the UAE. In addition, Kiri Arabia is supporting Dubai Cares Ramadan campaign by encouraging the community to post recipes online; every post generated will lead to a donation to Dubai Cares.
Oasis water has underscored the importance of clean water to students and schools. By purchasing an Oasis water bottle during the month of Ramadan, customers will help provide clean drinking water to children in developing countries.
Dubai Cares has also organized mobile and digital platforms such as SMS donations 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 the official telecom partner Etisalat. The organization's website www.dubaicares.ae also allows for online donations whilst Champion Cleaners will donate AED 1 to Dubai Cares for every "like" on their Facebook page.
UAE philanthropists who would like to own and run a fundraising campaign can log onto www.justgiving.com/dubaicares. "Just Giving" is an online charity platform where people can raise money for a cause. Direct financial donations can also be made through bank deposits, a cheque addressed to Dubai Cares or by dropping contributions at donation boxes placed in various locations throughout Dubai.
Dubai Cares 'We Can Teach Each Other' Ramadan campaign 2015 looks at children from the developing world who irrespective of the vulnerable conditions they are growing up in, have developed skills in crafting, engineering and designing that help them create wearable items and toys, made by repurposing disposable bags, old shoes, plastic and clothes, as well as natural material such as tree leaves and twigs. The campaign highlights the impact education could have in harnessing the potential talent of these children towards building a prosperous and productive future for all, and promotes 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.
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 will also be present at Modhesh World where visitors will be encouraged to donate AED 10 to participate in an activity in support of the organization's programs in developing countries.