Ramadan 2022: Lulu Group donates Dh2m to One Billion Meals campaign

• 

  During Ramadan last year the UAE met its target of raising enough donations for 100 million meals within ten days. All photos: Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives

• 

  The total was reached thanks to the generosity of 185,000 donors.

• 

  Donations poured in from individuals and corporations, from both the UAE and the rest of the world.

• 

  There are 800 million people in the world who go to sleep hungry every night.

• 

  About 52 million people living in the Mena region do not have enough food to eat.

• 

  The One Billion Meals Campaign will begin at the start of Ramadan and continue until its goal is met.

Lulu Group has donated Dh2 million ($544,514) to the One Billion Meals campaign.

The company's contribution will cover the cost of basic ingredients to prepare a nutritious meal for disadvantaged families.

“We are happy, proud and privileged to be a part of this great humanitarian initiative,” Yusuff Ali, Lulu Group's chairman and managing director, said.

“Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid has rightly said that the best of all charities is to feed a hungry person and the best of all nations is the one that keeps thinking of others.

“I pray to Almighty Allah to bless the visionary rulers of this great nation with good health and long life to continue to be a blessing to the less privileged all over the world.”

On Sunday, the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment (MBRCH) donated Dh20 million ($5.44bn) to the campaign.

Announced last month, the initiative encourages people to donate money to feed the needy. It will run until the target is met.

The campaign aims to help the vulnerable in 50 countries, supporting efforts to achieve the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 2 to end hunger by 2030.

The One Billion Meals initiative is an extension of the 100 Million Meals campaign, which was launched during Ramadan 2021. At the time, it successfully distributed 220 million meals across 47 nations — double its initial target — with the participation of MBRCH teams.

During Ramadan 2020, a 10 Million Meals campaign supported communities hit by Covid-19 across the UAE.

Last year's 100 Million Meals campaign provided food parcels and vouchers to millions of people across four continents, including Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen, Tunisia, Iraq, Egypt, Kosovo, Brazil, Benin, Burundi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Senegal, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Angola, Sierra Leone, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.

Organised by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, the total was reached thanks to the generosity of 185,000 donors, from inside and outside the UAE.

How to donate

The One Billion Meals campaign website has details of several options for donors.

Money can be pledged online, either monthly or by a one-off donation. People can donate by SMS message through Etisalat or du, or money can be sent via bank transfer.

For big donations and related enquiries, contact the campaign team on 800 9999.