UAEU students donate to support families in need

Al Ain: Students of UAE University (UAEU) on Wednesday donated more than Dh100,000 to the Red Crescent Authority (RCA) to support needy people in the country.

The amount was raised in a three-day charity campaign, under the sponsorship of Shaikha Shamsa Bint Zayed Al Nahyan, the wife of Shaikh Tahnoun Bin Mohammad Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in the Eastern Region, according a spokesperson of the university.

The campaign was run by a team called Abshiru, a collaboration of the Student Red Crescent Club and Students Activities and Leadership Department. Students organised a charity exhibition, fashion shows and shops selling clothes, perfumes and food.

A total of Dh110,470 was collected during the campaign. The amount was later handed over to the RCA by Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Vice-Chancellor of the university, to Salem Al Rais Al Ameri, director of UAE RCA in Al Ain.

“The cooperation between UAEU and the UAE Red Crescent Authority is something to be proud and pleased about because the link between the two sides is the students who always surprise us with their humanitarian and voluntary initiatives,” said Dr Al Nuaimi.

Speaking on the occasion, Al Ameri said the amount collected by the student holds a lot of meaning because students’ income is usually limited. “Pledging a portion or all of their income for the needy is the essence of philanthropy,” he added.

Student Azza Al Affari, head of the student’s Red Crescent Club at UAEU, said: “Through this club we aim to spread the spirit of volunteerism and share the love of charitable and humanitarian work among the students, and this is exactly what we found since the launch of the club.”