Caring for UAE orphans a labour of love



DUBAI // Despite having sons of her own, Hala Kazim adopted a boy to change his life.

The Emirati was volunteering at Al Wasl Hospital when she fell in love with a 1-year-old Asian child and asked to adopt him 14 years ago.

"Adoption had been on my mind for a long time," said Mrs Kazim. "I always dreamt of being able to change somebody's life."

Her adopted son does not carry the family's last name, but that does not stop her treating him as her own.

"He doesn't have the family name because it's haram to pass it on in Islam," Mrs Kazim said."When we travel, people always question me about my sons because one of them is Asian. My son and I both laugh and I tell him to explain our story."

The concept of an "orphan" in the UAE differs from that of the West. While westerners think of an orphan as a child with no parents, in Islam a fatherless or motherless child is in the same category.

A widowed woman and her children should be placed under the patronage and care of her closest living male relative. A child who has lost both parents will also be placed in the care of the closest living relative.

If no relative can be found, the child is placed with an Emirati family or in an orphanage. But no legal adoption process takes place as Sharia law does not permit an orphan to take the surname of an adoptive father, as it could cause problems of lineage in the future.

"By making a non-biologically related child one's own, thus an inheritor, one undercuts the legitimate rights of others, which is unfair and unacceptable by both reason and religious commandment," said Dr Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz al Haddad, the Grand Mufti of Dubai.

The Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation (SSEF) works to provide more than just monetary support to families of such children.

"It's not always the case that they need financial support, but psychological and social support is imperative," said Mona bin Hadah al Suwaidi, the manager of SSEF.

Judran, an SSEF project, ensures families with orphans have everything they need, including handymen for home repairs and gardeners.

KA, a 43-year-old mother from Pakistan who asked not be named, buried her husband six months after their wedding day. He never met his daughter. KA and her daughter are supported by the SSEF.

"The foundation have provided me with many necessities such as a refrigerator and computer," she said. "Honestly, I am very happy that my daughter is part of it because they keep my dignity in a way.

"They don't impose certain types of food on me, but rather provide me with a coupon to choose foods that suit our traditions.

"I have a low-paying job that hardly meets our basic needs. The organisation has helped look after my daughter since she was a child and they are now helping me pay her education fees."

The SSEF supports 2,060 orphans. Of these, 1,140 are Emirati and 920 are other UAE residents.

It receives support funding from the Government and from organisations such as the Red Crescent and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation. The SSEF also holds fund-raising events and private sponsorship makes up most of its income.

Exact figures for orphans or orphanages in the UAE are hard to come by.

In Dubai, Ward 16 of Al Wasl Hospital offers specialised services for mothers and children. The ward is the first place many abandoned babies are taken.

Among other well-known organisations caring for the fatherless is the Zayed Higher Organisation.

Founded by Sheikh Zayed, the late President of the UAE, in 1988, the organisation provides for more than 380 children in need.

Of these: 53 are in the care of Emirati foster families; 103 are in the care of "house mothers" who provide small groups of children with long-term care under the same roof; 221 over the age of 12 live in youth centres; and three live at Dar Zayed Comprehensive Welfare Centre near Al Ain.

The Dar Zayed centre is also home to several hundred other children.

"The care they receive in a natural family environment helps them evolve emotionally and physically, as well as understand family values and embrace universal social ethics and Emirati traditions," said Mohammed al Hameli, the deputy chairman of the Zayed Higher Organisation.

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Herc's Adventures

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Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

England World Cup squad

Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Keep it fun and engaging

Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.

“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.

His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.

He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.

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Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

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COMPANY PROFILE

Name: SmartCrowd
Started: 2018
Founder: Siddiq Farid and Musfique Ahmed
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Fireball

Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.

A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.

"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.

Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.

Company profile

Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices

COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Barcelona 3
Messi (27’, 32’, 87’)

Leganes 1
El Zhar (68’)

The specs: 2018 Mercedes-AMG C63 S Cabriolet

Price, base: Dh429,090

Engine 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission Seven-speed automatic

Power 510hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque 700Nm @ 1,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 9.2L / 100km

Company Profile

Company name: OneOrder

Started: October 2021

Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice

Based: Cairo, Egypt

Industry: technology, logistics

Investors: A15 and self-funded


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