Ramadan 2024 in UAE: Sharjah announces Dh136 million ‘Joud’ aid campaign
Free meals, medical treatment, clothes, housing and water projects part of plans
Sharjah: The Sharjah Charitable Society has unveiled its plans for ‘Joud’, this year’s Ramadan campaign to raise Dh136 million for various assistance programmes.
Joud means generosity in Arabic and is the name of the annual charitable drive for Ramadan, which this year is expected to begin on March 11, with the official start date of the holy Islamic month of fasting to be announced by the UAE’s moon sighting committee a day in advance.
The details for the latest Joud were announced during a press conference in Sharjah recently under the patronage of Sheikh Saqr bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Sharjah Charitable Society, and chairman of the High Committee for the Ramadan Campaign.
Ali Mohammed Al Rashidi, head of the Society’s Investment Resources Sector, said the campaign is counting on philanthropists to give their ‘zakat’ (an annual charitable contribution from one’s wealth in Islam) through the association, as the largest portion of the campaign’s objectives are based on zakat donations.
Allocations for projects
Al Rashidi mentioned some of the allocations as:
• Dh65.1 million to cover five main projects of the campaign
• Dh12.4 million to provide 830,000 iftar (end of fasting day) meals inside and outside the UAE
• Dh1.7 million for ‘Ramadan baskets’ containing essentials for 17,250 beneficiaries
• Dh3.2 million in Zakat Al Fitr (end of Ramadan charity) for the benefit of 40,000 persons
• Dh862,500 for clothing ahead of the Eid Al Fitr festival, for 2,875 beneficiaries registered in aid lists within the country, in addition to 2,200 beneficiaries in a number of regions in Egypt, at a cost of Dh200,000, in cooperation with the UAE Embassy in Cairo
• Dh1 million to relieve the financial hardship of inmates, in cooperation with Sharjah Police
Water and housing projects
Al Rashidi added: “The Supreme Committee for the Ramadan Campaign, in coordination with the Projects Department and External Aid, also aims to include a number of external initiatives [outside the UAE], which will include connecting water networks to the residents of a number of areas that suffer from water scarcity, in addition to building a number of residential complexes to ensure safety and stability of life for the needy.”
He also mentioned the launching of medical campaigns in remote areas around the world.
Success in 2023
Abdullah Sultan bin Khadim, Executive Director, Sharjah Charitable Society, praised donors’ support in the 2023 Ramadan campaign, which had surpassed the target of Dh125 million by three per cent, reaching Dh129 million.
Dr Yaqoub Al Naqbi, member of the board, said: “The association was able, thanks to God first and then with the support of benefactors, to overcome the most difficult challenges during the previous period. We provided relief and launched humanitarian campaigns that will continue to bear witness to the generosity of the people of the UAE, both citizens and residents.”