Dubai’s charity initiatives worth Dh3bn in 2020 help more than 98 million people

UAE's global humanitarian initiatives support vulnerable segments without discrimination, says Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, praised the contributions of all companies that have helped to give hope to vulnerable groups across the world. Photo: WamShow less

Dubai’s charitable initiatives worth Dh3 billion helped more than 98 million people in 2020, a government report has shown.

The Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai on Sunday released its annual report, highlighting the social responsibility initiatives of public and private sector entities supervised by itself, the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) and charitable societies and institutions.

The report said that 1,267 social responsibility initiatives were carried out in 2020 to provide education and humanitarian relief, raise health awareness, combat disease, empower communities and provide aid to alleviate the suffering of underprivileged communities regardless of their race or religion.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, said the UAE's global humanitarian initiatives support vulnerable segments in diverse communities and will have a positive long-term impact.

He said that the vision of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to alleviate the suffering of disadvantaged communities around the world and improve their quality of life has inspired entities across all sectors to launch social responsibility initiatives.

Sheikh Hamdan praised the contributions of companies that have helped to give hope to vulnerable groups around the world.

The number of volunteers involved in humanitarian initiatives reached more than 171,000, the report said, while one million volunteer work hours were registered in the field and online.

MBRGI's social responsibility initiatives

The social responsibility projects and initiatives undertaken by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives in 2020 were worth Dh1.2 billion, benefiting more than 83 million people.

More than 121,000 volunteers participated in carrying out initiatives and projects dedicated to supporting underprivileged communities.

Meanwhile, charitable societies and institutions carried out 243 initiatives with a value of more than Dh657 million, which had an impact on the lives of more than six million people. These initiatives involved the participation of 727 volunteers who put in 50,396 hours.

Private sector

The private sector also contributed through 740 projects worth more than Dh634 million launched in 2020, assisting more than 3,600 beneficiaries. A total of 107 volunteers devoted 1,151 hours to support the initiatives.

Government entities

The number of social responsibility projects carried out by government entities reached 284, with a value of more than Dh550 million. These projects had an impact on more than eight million people and brought together 48,000 volunteers who contributed more than one million hours.

UAE's 100 Million Meals Campaign - in pictures

• 

  The 100 Million Meals campaign has successfully distributed 10,868,400 meals in the UAE, in collaboration with the UAE Food Bank. All photos: UAE Government Media Office

• 

  Organisers said there were a total of 362,280 beneficiaries in the UAE, made up of 182,916 low-income families and 179,364 low-income individuals.

• 

  The 100 Million Meals campaign aims to provide food to those in need across more than 30 countries.

• 

  People involved in the project are hard at work.

• 

  Generous public donations have helped to raise enough money to exceed initial targets.

• 

  Sara Al Nuaimi, director of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global initiative.

• 

  Eng. Dawood Al Hajri, vice chairman of the board of trustees of the UAE Food Bank.