UAE | Education
Full text of Shaikh Mohammad's speech
The following is the full text of the speech of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice- President of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at the closing ceremony of Dubai Cares at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai on Sunday:
- Staff Report
- Published: 16:55 November 25, 2007
The following is the full text of the speech of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at the closing ceremony of Dubai Cares at the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai on Sunday:
This is indeed an occasion for everyone in Dubai to be immensely proud; an occasion that celebrates the spirit of compassion; an occasion that is the result of every act of kindness, of every hand that came out to help, however small.
My heartfelt congratulations to all the people of Dubai on the remarkable success of the Dubai Cares campaign; May the Almighty bless you all.
I would also like to express my deep appreciation of, and say a big 'thank you' to the campaign team for their commitment and devotion to their work. Credit must also go to the thousands of volunteers – especially students – who have contributed to this campaign.
I would like to share with you here, the story of a young Emarati couple, Yousuf Yaqoub and his bride who donated their wedding party expenses of Dh150,000 to Dubai Cares.
My appreciation also goes to the businessmen and women, as well as the corporate sector, who donated generously in support of the campaign's honourable objectives. Their donations have earned them the blessings and rewards from the Almighty. They have set an exemplary example in the community and shown that doing business is not about just making money, its also about making the money work for the good of tomorrow.
When Dubai Cares was launched on September 19, we set out to raise AED200 million. That script was completely rewritten with contributions far exceeding our expectations, reaching over AED1.7 billion (USD480 million) - nearly nine times the initial target. This is a humanitarian achievement that reflects the depth of our spirit of giving and shows the genuine desire of donors to help their brothers and sisters, regardless of their religion, colour or creed.
This achievement also demonstrates that a large number of companies and business people are highly conscious of their social responsibility and are constantly looking for ways to give back to the society that has given them the success they now enjoy.
There is no doubt the success of Dubai Cares also underlines the priority that each contributor places on education as an imperative necessity to help people become self-reliant and empower them to help themselves, their families and communities.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Your contributions and efforts will have a positive impact on millions of people and thousands of villages and communities. Your contributions will significantly improve education systems and ease the plight of thousands of schools and teachers.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
When my sons and daughters, who participated in Dubai Cares, returned from on-ground visits to potential recipient countries, they were overwhelmed with a contradicting sense of joy and sorrow, pride and misery. While they were sad to see the schools, students and teachers in desperate conditions, they were overcome with joy at the display of determination and hope in the eyes and smiles of the children, mothers and fathers who received them.
As much as their souls were full of pride, it was matched by misery and sadness generated by the lack of effort, by much of the world, to help these needy children.
We in the UAE are fulfilling our humanitarian duties, asking for the Almighty's grace to bless us with peace of mind. We do not compare ourselves with the others and do not wait for others to take the lead. Instead, we lead by example.
While we have succeeded in raising significant funds, it is now our priority to ensure they are allocated in an efficient and appropriate manner. In order to effectively implement and manage programmes in these needy countries, I have directed officials to manage the money and channel our contribution to educate millions of children.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
One of the most important results of the campaign is the revival, in Dubai, of the spirit of voluntary work for the benefit of others – the campaign torch was carried forward on the enthusiastic shoulders of thousands of girls, boys and students who volunteered their time and effort to make Dubai Cares a success.
As one of the treasures and values of our religion, heritage and tradition, we need to invest in the power of voluntary work, and realise its potential to make a meaningful difference in societies.
If voluntary work can grow in developed countries and form the basis of organisations, we will be right there - at the forefront of global development. We have the capacity to drive voluntary efforts, and help them grow in our societies and among our people who have never hesitated, or missed an opportunity, to extend a helping hand to those in need.
Dubai Cares has released the power and energy of voluntary work and revealed – once again – the spirit of giving in our society. We need, now, to put mechanisms in place for volunteers. We need to create an organised body to focus on projects that can generate sustainable resources to create a positive impact on the ground.
Regardless of your power and capabilities as an individual, it can never surpass the power of a team. We invite voluntary organisations in the UAE, as well as ideas and initiatives to help instil the values of volunteering among our people and, especially, in the souls of our children. In doing so, we will strengthen the values of tolerance, compassion and solidarity within our society and among the individuals.
We also intend to build advanced models of volunteer work as an example for others to follow. This is an urgent necessity. Underdeveloped countries are in deep need of voluntary work to eradicate illiteracy, improve healthcare and build schools and roads, plant trees, save lives and protect the environment.
I am pleased to inform you that I have directed the people supervising the Dubai Cares campaign to prioritise voluntary work as the primary agenda of next year's campaign.
Dear pioneers of giving and heroes of this campaign.
You have planted hope in the hearts of thousands of needy people and are giving millions of children the opportunity to create good lives for themselves and their families and to contribute to the development of their communities and countries.
The campaign is injecting life in one of the UN Millennium Development Goals for 2015. You have revived hope in the possibility of providing primary education to every girl and boy in the world
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I congratulate you again on the success of Dubai Cares and we will meet again next year with our programme on voluntary work.
Thank you.
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