Dubai start-up Cafu aims to raise more than Dh150,000 to help build school in Malawi

A Dubai-based start-up has announced a pledge to raise more than Dh150,000 to help fund and build a school in Malawi.

In collaboration with the Dubai Cares Adopt-a-School programme — part of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives — Cafu is aiming to raise about Dh154,000 in donations that will help to provide Malawian children with access to education.

As children around the world head back to the classroom, the fuel-delivery and vehicle services platform hopes to construct and run a two-room primary school that will cater to 100 pupils.

It plans to build the school within a year and also create 18 months of literacy activities that will benefit parents and adults in the surrounding community.

Through its Brick by Brick campaign, Cafu’s pledge to sponsor the school will ultimately increase school enrolment in the community by 15 per cent to 20 per cent, helping to break the cycle of poverty in the area, the company said.

With the money raised, and with help from Dubai Cares, the campaign will also provide everything the school needs to run successfully, including furniture and textbooks.

The school will also host up to 60 adult men and women for literacy classes and educational programmes.

Cafu has rolled out several community initiatives in the UAE, including Al Ihsan Charity Association, which provides free fuel to low-income families in Ajman, and “Cafu Creates”, a programme that aims to empower young people by offering a platform for them to pitch innovative ideas, the company said.

Brick by Brick is the company’s first international campaign.

Senegalese pupils benefit from Dubai Cares programme — in pictures

Ms Ndiaye Diouf stands next to one of the several hundred publications and teaching materials printed by ARED to help students learn French in a language where the majority of official work is conducted in the lingua Franca. Naser Al Wasmi / The National
The basis of a bilingual programme, newly sponsored by Dubai Cares in the capital of Dakar, is to teach students in both local languages and French, Senegal’s official language. Naser Al Wasmi / The National
This bilingual programme is the first in a series of Dubai Cares aid in Senegal. Naser Al Wasmi / The National
Students participate in the bilingual classes. Naser Al Wasmi / The National
Mauri Bicesse, 1st grade, 9, rights down the amount used to buy a coffee as part of the schools bilingual programme. Naser Al Wasmi / The National
Seven-year-old Astau Diouf, 1st grade, writes down the phonetic spelling of 10,000 Senegalese Francs in an attempt to impress her classmates with a correct answer. Naser Al Wasmi / The National
Amy Diouf teaches students maths. The students will repeat the same subject in both French and their local language, Wolof. Naser Al Wasmi / The National

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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill

Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

War on waste

Campaigners call for UAE supermarkets to charge for plastic bags

UAE's takeaway culture sparks environmental concern

Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026

1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years

If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.

2. E-invoicing in the UAE

Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.

3. More tax audits

Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.

4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime

Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.

5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit

There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.

6. Further transfer pricing enforcement

Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.

7. Limited time periods for audits

Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.

8. Pillar 2 implementation

Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.

9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services

Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.

10. Substance and CbC reporting focus

Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.

Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer