Ewaa in Abu Dhabi launches ambassador initiative to combat violence and abuse

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Centre for Sheltering and Humanitarian Care — Ewaa has launched a new ambassadors programme in order to reinforce the Abu Dhabi social sector’s preventive role in combating violence and abuse.

The launch was attended by Noura Al Kaabi, UAE Minister of State, president of Zayed University, and Sarah Shuhail, director general of Ewaa. Shuhail said Ewaa will now engage in collaborations with higher education institutions in Abu Dhabi to “open new horizons for building awareness and knowledge exchange in the field of violence and abuse”.

Long-term goals

In the long term, the initiative aims at promoting Ewaa’s services and increasing reports on violence and abuse cases, through training students on raising awareness among the public. It will also open new communication channels with higher education institutions that will allow for best practices exchange.

Committed to offering diversified opportunities for capacity building and training, Ewaa Ambassadors will organise workshops, courses and lectures, on domestic violence, child abuse and human trafficking.

Selection criteria

Ewaa Ambassadors’ programme has precise criteria for target students, such as a demonstration of enthusiasm for community advancement, as well as presentation and communication skills. They must also be enrolled in majors related to psychology, social service and communication.

As per upcoming agreements that fall under the Ewaa Ambassadors initiative, higher education institutions will nominate students to join the initiative’s programme, and thus serve as awareness ambassadors on the topics of violence and abuse.

The programme ensures adequate capacity that establishes effective evaluation to inform enhancements and updates.

First year

This year, Zayed University has been selected to embark upon training its students on raising awareness.

“Through our partnership with Ewaa, and the Ewaa Ambassadors initiative, we aim to build a generation of future leaders that understand the importance of social responsibility, and play an active role in raising awareness on the negative impact of violence and abuse. Our partnership with the centre supports the efforts made by our leadership to guarantee the right of dignified and safe life for all,” Al Kaabi said.

“Combating violence and abuse in all its forms is everyone’s responsibility. Training higher education students lays foundations for gaining perspective on their needs, and their tremendous potentials inspired our endeavours towards investing in new generations of awareness ambassadors, thought-leaders and experts,” Shuhail added.