Nostalgic finale to Dubai Cares

Dubai: Attendees at the closing ceremony of the Dubai Cares campaign were given some very personal stories to show why it is important to share what you have with others.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, gave one example of how when people are generous, they can get back as much as they give.

But another tale from times past suggested that at times charity is also about making sacrifices.

Shaikh Mohammad took people back to his childhood and described how he used to feed one of his horses from his own food.

He told of how, when he was a young boy, school started early so he would take a piece of bread with him for his breakfast. At the time, he said, his father Shaikh Rashid Bin Saeed Al Maktoum's stables were close to his school and easy for him to visit during the week.

Shaikh Mohammad said that because the food his horse was being given was unappetising, he would give half of his breakfast to the much-loved animal.

"By lunchtime I was hungry. I waited for my sister and brothers to finish their lunch and I would attack their food like a hawk," he said.

He added that "a day or two later" he opened his food parcel to find there were two pieces of bread there instead of just one.

"I don't know if my mother noticed and gave me two pieces of bread," he said to the laughter of the crowd.

A second story showed that, on the other hand, giving can also involve making sacrifices for the sake of others. "A lady would come with water and hand it to the first wounded person. He would reject it and say that the wounds suffered by the person next to him were worse and she would move on to the next person who would do the same. By the time she came to the first one he was dead," he said, adding "we must give back to others less fortunate".

Amount doubled

The amount raised by Dubai Cares doubled on Sunday when Shaikh Mohammad announced he would match the total donated. Shaikh Mohammad stunned attendees of the campaign's closing ceremony when he revealed he was giving Dh1.74 billion - bringing the total to Dh3.48 billion.

The eight-week campaign was launched during Ramadan with the aim of providing a primary education to one million children in poor countries. Officials initially hoped to raise Dh200 million.