Dubai: Doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, lawyers, therapists — your services are needed.
Dubai’s Community Development Authority (CDA) has appealed to professionals in all fields to volunteer their time and expertise during their free time to give back to community and serve underprivileged families and individuals.
Volunteering hours in Dubai have more than doubled in the first nine months of the year compared to the whole of 2015. As of Wednesday, volunteers have clocked in 60,000 hours equivalent to a savings of Dh4.9 million. There are more than 5,500 registered volunteers, 2,500 of whom are actively serving the community.
But demand is also high for volunteers who have specialisations since they make up only about two per cent of the total volunteers, Hana Bakkar Al Harthi, director of Social Cohesion Department at CDA, said.
“The special type of volunteers we’re targeting are a certain group of professionals that [can offer] additional support for the community. These are people involved in the medical field, lawyers, engineers, teachers, social workers, therapists — basically, professionals from all fields,” Al Harthi told Gulf News.
The CDA now has 34 volunteer doctors and nurses, a few lawyers, journalists, and 10 trainers. They need more in order to serve specific segments of the population.
“If you’re a doctor, you can give consultations in labour accommodations. You’re certified, you’re doing it in a legal way and you’re doing it for free, so the impact is perfect in a community. Although insurance is now available, there are still many layers and issues that people in the labour force face that hinder them from going to the doctor,” Al Harthi said.
“If you’re a lawyer, you can help families with limited incomes for a quick legal consultation,” she added.
Al Harthi said one of their star volunteers is a professional with 27 years of experience in a very high position who is retiring very soon. He gave two lectures on National Identity, each lasting 45 minutes. This helped the authority save Dh30,000 in professional fees this year, which could still go to other important services.
“The gift that they [volunteers] will get there is the happiness that they will spread. By volunteering, you are fulfilling a personal urge to give back and you will feel the impact instantly and directly [from the people you served],” Al Harthi said.
“Volunteerism has no financial returns but the [rewards you get] from the human aspect is going to be so rich. This is the only field where you can say, ‘Thank God, I’ve done my part’, and this is the real fulfilling sensation that only a few of us get.”
HOW TO VOLUNTEER
Professionals can volunteer their services by registering through the Dubai Volunteer App. After completing the process, the CDA will contact the professional to present his credentials, including his certificates. After that, the CDA or the volunteer can create programmes tailor-made for their target community.
