Exploring the many ways in which to give

The Year of Giving provides a chance to think of ways to connect to our communities

Khalifa Bin Hendi and his team of volunteers fan out to distribute food and household supplies pack in cartoons, for 300 homes in the Al Quoz neighbourhood. Jeffrey E. Biteng / The National

With 2017 having been declared the “Year of Giving” by the President, Sheikh Khalifa, it is worth asking what giving really means in a modern context and particularly in the context of the UAE.

This country spends a great deal of its wealth in creating what can be called “public goods”. These are products or services that everyone can use – think, for example, of well-maintained roads, clean air, transport infrastructure, banking systems, a legal framework and so on. Companies and individuals, both Emiratis and expatriates, benefit from these goods, but, because there is no income tax, they don’t directly pay for them.

Giving, in one sense then, is really giving back, both by companies and individuals. Private companies can use this year to increase their corporate social responsibility, making sure that they are contributing to the communities in which they thrive.

Individuals, too, can give back. In launching the Year of Giving, Sheikh Khalifa noted that “true citizenship ... also means sacrificing for the sake of the homeland”. All of us, both expats and Emiratis, have gained and flourished by living in the UAE and giving to our communities and country is a way to offer something back.

But giving is about more than just giving back. It is really about service. Volunteering means serving something greater than yourself, either your community or your country. Individuals who serve a higher purpose often find they gain benefits in their own lives: a greater sense of purpose, more satisfaction, as well as the sense that they are making a real difference.

Service can take many forms. For some Emiratis, it will mean serving in the armed forces or doing other national service. Both will involve real sacrifice and will create within them a strong connection to the country. But there are many other ways to serve: there are so many initiatives across the emirates that get people involved in the community, from taking care of the natural environment to helping with a blood drive or working with abandoned animals. And service can start at the smallest level: even giving up your time to help a neighbour is part of service.

This coming year is a moment to explore the different ways to give back to our communities and in doing so connect with them.