Dubai: Soumya Saad
The Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation, one of the largest charitable organizations, has released its annual report for 2022 as part of its efforts to make a tangible impact on the charitable scene in the region.
The report was launched in cooperation with the Capital Club Dubai, in the presence of Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi, President of the American University of Sharjah, founder and president of Kalimat Foundation, Abdulaziz Al Ghurair, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation, Sheikh Dr. Majid Al Qasimi, founding partner of Soma Matter, and Dr. Sonia Bin Jaafar, CEO of the Foundation.
During a dialogue session between Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi and Abdulaziz Al Ghurair, the two parties stressed the importance of strategic investment as a catalyst for making an effective and tangible impact, and called for greater interaction with the next generation of those interested in philanthropy to continue the advancement of their societies.
Sheikha Bodour Al Qasimi said: “Charitable work is not limited to knowing the needs and providing appropriate financial resources to the areas that need them, but to achieve a greater and lasting impact, philanthropy must be data-based. When donors unite their efforts, they can make an impactful change in some of the biggest challenges in the world.” Our era, such as climate change and sustainability .. My message is (give with your mind, not with your heart), because although the donor may feel an affinity for a particular problem, his money may be used more in another field completely different.
For his part, Abdulaziz Al Ghurair said: “Last year, the Foundation provided support to 26,000 young men and women to enhance their professional prospects, and we made great strides in our efforts to prepare them to keep pace with the advanced, knowledge-based digital economy through our successful partnerships, as the results contained in the report shed light on the role of Strategic charitable work in the region, and I hope it will set an example for the next generation of those interested in charitable work.
Regarding the importance of the business community’s participation in charitable work, Mohamed Karmawi, General Manager of the Capital Club – Dubai, said: “We realize the importance of the role that the private sector can play in advancing charitable work and enhancing its impact, as companies committed to social responsibility, and we have unique resources that we must contribute.” In promoting charitable work, with the aim of achieving positive change in the communities in which we operate.
At the end of the session, Dr. Sonia bin Jaafar, CEO of the Abdullah Al Ghurair Foundation, announced the launch of the Abdullah Al Ghurair Foundation’s annual report for 2022, which highlights the results of the Foundation’s efforts over the past year.
The Foundation succeeded in making a positive impact on the lives of 26,000 young men and women within 12 months, registering a 40% increase over the previous year. These results highlight the Foundation’s role and contributions in unleashing the potential of Emirati and Arab youth, relying on high-quality education and skills development opportunities.
The Foundation has so far contributed to supporting 76,000 Emirati and Arab youth across the region, and has launched many programs in 2022, including “Take-Up”, “Siraj”, the “Hama” project, and education integrated with work, while the “Take-Up” program witnessed », which was launched in partnership with Udacity to train young people on various levels of digital skills, the participation of more than 7,300 Arab youth, including 84% of Emirati men, 68% of young women and 75% of young men between the ages of 18 and 28 years.
The Siraj program, which was launched in cooperation with CNN in Arabic, aims to provide 300 Emirati and Arab youth with basic skills in strategic and creative thinking and public speaking, in order to enhance their competitiveness and prepare them to enter the labor market. So far, 85 Emirati youth have succeeded. completion of the programme, including 58% of females.
The “Hama” project was also launched under the supervision of the Prime Minister’s Office in the UAE, as it focuses on enhancing the readiness of Emirati military female soldiers, by providing them with the necessary practical skills that allow them employment opportunities, including design, project management and entrepreneurship. Effective workshops, and he succeeded in training more than 200 female soldiers.
With regard to the work-integrated education program, it was developed in cooperation with the University of Waterloo in Canada, and focuses on capacity building, training and supply, allowing students to develop their skills to increase their career opportunities.
Last year, the Foundation established the Youth Advisory Council, which consists of 14 Arab youth from diverse backgrounds. They provide advice to the Foundation, facilitate effective communication with stakeholders, support research projects, and represent the Foundation in national, regional and international events.
The Foundation launched the UAE Universities Consortium initiative for the quality of online learning in 2020 in cooperation with the UAE Ministry of Education and 9 leading universities, in order to develop accredited and high-quality e-learning programs.
The initiative worked intensively last year, as the Foundation received the support of the initiative to train more than 100 teachers, supported universities to launch innovative training courses that contributed to providing new educational opportunities for more than 8,000 students, and invested more than 1,300 hours of professional development races and workshops for youth Arabs.
