Showing that Dubai cares

Over an eight week period this year, Dubai's diverse community, including the private sector, government and individuals, took part in a campaign that aimed to show that ‘Dubai Cares'.

With over Dh1.73 billion raised by the education initiative, the campaign garnered an unprecedented level of support from community organisations, sports clubs, schools, businesses and philanthropists, with the goal of educating one million children in developing countries around the world.

Launched on September 19, the campaign was spearheaded by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, along with his children who acted as Dubai Cares ambassadors.

“If we want to champion prosperity and progress, we cannot ignore poverty. We should therefore emphasise the role of education as the most powerful weapon in breaking the vicious circle of poverty,'' Shaikh Mohammad said at the launch.

In Dubai the focus was on raising funds and awareness about the importance of working towards the Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education. Outside the UAE, Dubai Cares delegations visited countries including the Comoros Islands, Chad, Sudan and Yemen to assess there educational needs.

And, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef), the needs are great. Over six million children in the Arab world alone and 100 million children worldwide are currently not enrolled in primary education.

More than 55 per cent of these children are girls who then become more vulnerable to poverty, hunger, violence, abuse and exploitation.

“Education holds out hope for the future, enrichment for the present and dignity for mankind. It helps us to communicate with each other. It helps nations to hurdle the barriers to understanding,'' Shaikh Mohammad said at the campaign's launch.

“It provides a solid basis from which societies can grow and flourish.''Show