Du dials up Dh1.57m to help with iftar campaign

Telecoms company du has announced its partnership with the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation to distribute iftar meals during Ramadan.

Du’s Mawaed Al Rahman initiative distributes free iftar meals during Ramadan last year. The company is donating this year too. Courtesy Du

ABU DHABI // Telecoms operator du has pledged to donate Dh1.57 million to a humanitarian foundation and take part in its annual iftar meal programme.

The funds, to be donated to the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation, are from the company’s Emirati Plan, launched in 2011, in which 5 per cent of monthly fees for Emirati customers are donated towards charity.

It is the second time the company has taken part in the foundation’s programme to distribute hundreds of thousands of iftar meals during the month of Ramadan.

Du will sponsor 25 Emirati women to cook meals that will be distributed across the country, through the foundation’s iftar programme, at Mawaed Al Rahman iftar tables.

Du partnered with Think Up GCC, a regional youth organisation, for the tables.

Through its Mawaed Al Rahman volunteer programme, du said, it will provide an additional source of income for the 25 Emirati women.

Du employees and members of the public may volunteer to help distribute the meals.

“Initiatives like this are vital to the social fabric of the UAE, and we invite all members of our nation’s society to join us at our Mawaed Al Rahman locations this Ramadan,” said Humaida Al Khalsan, senior manager of corporate sustainability and communications projects at du.

Corporate volunteering and partnerships with organisations such as the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation help “develop opportunities for Emiratis and build stronger relationships amongst everyone involved”, she said.

“In giving back to the community we serve, we are able to do much more than merely help those who need it,” said Ms Al Khalsan.

The Emirati Plan has also donated Dh700,000 to the Feekom Al Khair Al Barakah home-renovation campaign, whose title means With Your Goodness and Blessings.

Almost 300 volunteers took part in the programme last year, volunteering a total of 1,295 hours to distribute 130,000 meals.

The Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation sponsors humanitarian initiatives that include Haj campaigns for UAE pilgrims, assistance for treatment or medications for patients with health problems, assistance for people with special needs on the east coast of the country, scholarships and housing-maintenance programmes.

It has also distributed tonnes of food to refugees in Somalia and funded distribution of iftar meals in dozens of countries during Ramadan.

Hundreds of Emirati families participate in the foundation’s annual UAE iftar programme to prepare meals, distributed mostly to labourers.

Those interested in volunteering should email [e-mail].