Dubai: With autism in UAE increasing rapidly Dubai Properties Group (DPG) has joined hands with Dubai Autism Centre (DAC) to help counter the condition and bring smiles on dozens of faces.

The real estate major, a member of Dubai Holding, has signed an MoU with DAC that will make creating awareness about the centre’s activities and generating funds forit an integral part of the developer’s existing ‘Responsible Living’ platform first launched in 2011.

Launching the programme under the title ‘Helping Children Smile,’ the initiative will include a range of community-based events and activities to promote sustainability, caring for the community and people in need.

Khalid Al Malek, Group CEO of DPG, and Mohammad Al Emadi, Director General and board member of the Dubai Autism Centre, signed the MoU recently.

Speaking about the partnership, Al Malek said: “We at DPG are honoured to partner with Dubai Autism Centre, an organisation I personally believe makes a big difference in the lives of children with autism and their families, and we look forward to working with the centre for what will be a rewarding and inspirational experience.”

The DPG-DAC partnership will include the provision of accommodation for a staff member from the centre in addition to a pledge from DPG to utilise its internal and external assets and stakeholders to create awareness and generate donations to the center.

Commenting on the partnership, Al Emadi said: “We are pleased with this partnership with DPG and we believe that this joint endeavour will aid us in our quest to create a better, safer environment for children with autism and, more importantly, create awareness and better community understanding of autism.”

DAC was founded in November 2001 and offers intervention, assessment and diagnosis of the condition. Autism in the UAE has increased rapidly in recent years, with 1 in 88 children now diagnosed with the condition. Today, the Dubai Autism Centre, located in Al Diyafah, has 46 students, 17 of whom are UAE nationals, with another 270 on the waiting list.