On the occasion of Zayed Humanitarian Day (Ramadan 19; July 17), Dubai Cares, the UAE-based philanthropic organization working to improve children’s access to quality primary education in developing countries, reminds UAE citizens about Sheikh Zayed’s focus on building a country rooted in humanity.
Speaking about the impact the UAE’s Founding Father has had on Dubai Cares, Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of the organization said: “Sheikh Zayed’s vision for the UAE was underpinned by deep humanity and generosity of spirit. He built a progressive nation that is known around the globe as a nation rooted in its local traditions whilst building its future with a global outlook. This forward-thinking attitude has also made us a formidable voice in the global conversation surrounding education and a strong advocate of its potential to lift nations out of poverty. Dubai Cares reflects this commitment by empowering children – regardless of their nationality, creed or religion – with quality primary education. Through our work in developing countries around the globe, we are creating a legacy of impactful developmental work that Sheikh Zayed inspired and nurtured.”
Dubai Cares is now reaching more than 10 million children in 35 developing countries. 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. Through its programs so far, the organization built and renovated over 1,500 classrooms, provided more than 1,300 water wells and potable water sources and constructed over 3,400 latrines in schools, provided nutritious food every day to more than 504,000 children in schools, trained over 38,000 teachers, kept more than 2.7 million children free from intestinal worms through its school-based de-worming activities; distributed over 2.1 million books written in local languages and established over 6,750 Parent-Teacher Associations.
For Ramadan 2014, Dubai Cares launched the “What If?” Ramadan campaign, which draws attention to the realities faced by children in the developing world and the impact that lack of education holds for their future. The UAE community, both individuals and corporates are invited to get involved in Dubai Cares “What If?” Ramadan campaign by:
- 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 via SMS by sending the codes (TB) or (CW) to the above numbers to donate the respective amounts (for Meraas Properties visitors at The Beach and Citywalk)
- Donating AED 50 by visiting Dubai Cares stand at The Star Atrium in The Dubai Mall from June 30 to July 19 to participate in building a classroom
- Donating AED 50,000 and becoming Dubai Cares Ramadan Campaign Patron
- Donating AED 5 or more to your purchase at any of Landmark Group’s retail outlets
- Posting a photo of your Kiri dish on Instagram with the hashtag #kirifeeds; Kiri will make a donation to Dubai Cares
- Redeeming coupons produced by Integral Shopper and distributed through Lulu Hypermarket stores; AED 1 will be donated to Dubai Cares for every coupon redeemed
- Buying the "Gift of Giving" magnets from Chalhoub Group UAE stores where proceeds will be donated to Dubai Cares
- Buying coffee from Circle K outlets where a percentage of proceeds will be donated to Dubai Cares. You can also round up your bill and donate your change to Dubai Cares
- Clicking “like” on Champion Cleaners Facebook page; Champion Cleaners will donate AED 1 to Dubai Cares for every “like”
- Participating in the charity event organized by UAE Financial Markets Association where various items will be auctioned off and proceeds will be donated to Dubai Cares
- Using discount coupons from Unilever to redeem 5 dirhams that can be donated to Dubai Cares
- 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 their contributions at donation boxes placed in various locations throughout Dubai