A generous donor to those in need

Donations to the ambitious Dubai Cares campaigns crossed the Dh1 billion mark on Friday, less than one month after its launch. The initial target, aimed to help educate one million children in poor countries, was in fact less than half this amount. The size of the donations is not surprising, though.

The UAE people have a tradition of extending help to all those who need it. And their enthusiasm to join the Dubai Cares initiative, the brainchild of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, reflects the generosity of our people when it comes to a good cause.

Building new schools and classrooms, providing books, food and medical care for unprivileged children are among the campaign's key objectives.

The UAE is already of one of the most generous countries in humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations Development Programme.

Its rapid, multi-faceted growth has given the UAE a prominent economic position and made it "a cultural bridge between the East and the West," Shaikh Mohammad said when he launched his bold initiative.

"By accepting this crucial role we accept at the same time the duty to promote education," he added. And education is the pillar of the UAE's development in the past three decades.

It is also one of the key goals of the Millennium Development Goals, signed by the international community eight years ago - to guarantee that every child will receive a basic education by the end of 2015.

According to widely accepted statistics, more than 120 million school-age children worldwide do not have access to education.

By giving some of those children a chance to learn, the UAE is indeed helping reshape the world.