UAE and Saudi charities ink collaboration deal at Philanthropy Summit

An agreement was signed between Emirates Foundation and Saudi Arabia-based Majid Society at the conclusion of the Emirates Foundation Philanthropy Summit 2013.

Clare Woodcraft delivers the closing address. Fatima Al Marzooqi / The National

ABU DHABI // The UAE’s leading philanthropic organisation has signed a landmark agreement with a counterpart in Saudi Arabia to share best practice, knowledge and experience.

The deal between the Emirates Foundation and the Majid Society was hailed as a major outcome of the Philanthropy Summit. The two organisations are to meet quarterly to exchange knowledge.

"We are delighted at the prospect of partnering with the Majid Society and also to working more closely with other GCC counterparts," said Clare Woodcraft, the chief executive of the Emirates Foundation.

“We both believe that the efficient deployment of philanthropic capital is critical if we are to successfully address some of the pressing social issues of our time and notably that of youth.”

The Majid Society has similar goals to the Emirates Foundation in that it focuses on empowering underprivileged young people.

It has recently changed its model to that of a sustainable organisation, with a focus on sustainable outcomes, as opposed to simply offering grant funding.

“We are keen to work in partnership with Emirates Foundation to ensure continuous improvement in performance and continuous learning about how best to deploy philanthropic capital,” said Hammam Zare, the general manager of the Majid Society.

It was also announced that the Emirates Foundation would play a part in hosting the 2015 Child and Youth Finance International Summit in Abu Dhabi.

Ms Woodcraft said: "We need to work together, we cannot resolve all the challenges facing young people in the UAE alone, we need partnership to succeed.

“We have amazing private sector partners because they understand their role in creating social value. This event further indicates that there is a real appetite for collaboration and sharing what works, and what doesn’t.”

Many of the delegates at the summit were involved in philanthropic work.

“We are trying to create the first youth innovation hub in the region,” said Johnwalf Brigoli, 20, from Global Youth Empowerment, an organisation in Dubai that works to inspire young people in business, arts and technology.

“The hub is not just about entrepreneur skills, but also about social development, two things which we believe go hand in hand.

“The youth here need a place to go to meet up and be productive and we want them to become job makers, not just job seekers.

“The summit has given me a lot of knowledge, but also given me a checklist – to make sure I am doing it right and to make sure what I am doing is relevant to the community.

“At the end of the day that is what it is about, not me, but a community.”

His colleague, Hamdan Iqbal, 18, said: “Events like this summit help to build an ecosystem that can make people more enthusiastic about start-ups. If you are passionate you have to just go for it, don’t be afraid and look for like-minded people.”