‘1B Meals Endowment’ campaign receives Dh404m as donations in 10 days

Dubai: The “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, during Ramadan has raised Dh404 million in donations in the first 10 days of its launch.

The campaign received contributions from over 70,000 donators, including individuals, institutions and businesses from both the public and private sectors, further testifying to the growing momentum of the campaign.

Mohammad Al Gergawi, Secretary General of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, said: “The remarkable response to the “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign is a true reflection of the generous and helping UAE community. The campaign has raised Dh404 million in only 10 days, contributed by more than 700,000 donators, which supports the objectives of the food aid endowment fund.

“Every year, the UAE showcases its commitment to its humanitarian role, to supporting underprivileged populations around the world, and to the global effort to fight and eradicate hunger. Towards this end, the “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign is an extension of the success UAE charity efforts achieved over the past years,” he added.

Sustainable generosity

The community-wide response to the “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign reflects the UAE’s established role on the sustainable humanitarian and charity work scene, as the campaign builds on the achievements of previous food aid drives launched under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum over the past three years. “10 Million Meals” during Ramadan 2020 was the first and largest show of solidarity of its kind, supporting victims of the COVID-19 pandemic within the UAE. This was followed by the “100 Million Meals” campaign the next year which was the largest regional food support campaign spanning 20 countries in the Arab region, Africa and Asia. Last year’s “One Billion Meals” was the largest of its kind regionally, providing one billion meals in 50 countries and furthering the UAE’s contribution to the global effort to eradicate hunger.

Five channels

Amidst this growing response, the “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign continues to welcome donations and contributions to the endowment fund from institutions and individuals across five main channels including the campaign’s website (www.1billionmeals.ae), as well as a dedicated call center via the toll free number (800 9999). Donations are also possible via bank transfers in the UAE dirham to the campaign bank account number with Emirates NBD (AE30 0260 0010 1533 3439 802). Donations via SMS give contributors the option to donate Dh1 daily through a monthly subscription, by sending the word “Meal” to 1020 for du users, or to 1110 for Etisalat by e& users. Those who wish to donate to the campaign through the DubaiNow app can do so by clicking on the “Donations” tab.

Reviving endowment

The “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign aims to revive the culture of endowment as a tool for community development, as it expands the scope of charity and humanitarian efforts and extends its reach to more underprivileged groups, based on a sustainable framework. It strengthens the value of solidarity in broader sense, allowing all members of the community to be part of endowment charity efforts, thus providing a sustainable model of giving and a practical example of social solidarity.