Importance of charity work stressed in UAE

Dubai: Promoting International Day of Charity, which falls on September 5, Dubai-based philanthropic and charitable organisation Dar Al Ber Society has called on residents to affirm the importance of humanitarian work for the needy.

The International Day of Charity was declared by the United Nations General Assembly in 2012 “to raise awareness and mobilise various organisations and individuals around the world to help others through volunteer and philanthropic activities at local, national, regional and international levels.”

Khalfan Khalifa Al Mazrouei, chairman of the Board of Directors of Dar Al Ber Society, said: “This day (September 5) is an opportunity to shed light on the importance of charitable work that the UAE offers to the world.”

In the first six months of 2020, Dar Al Ber Society had donated a total of Dh62,402,754 for charitable and humanitarian projects to 42 accredited organisations working on 18,174 projects in 32 countries.

The projects include the construction of mosques and maintenance projects, Islamic awareness projects, water projects, medical projects, charitable endowment, support for needy families and emergency relief operations.

Al Mazrouei added Dar Al Ber Society has sponsored 37,065 orphans inside and outside the country as well as 450 families and 41 People of Determination. The total budget allocation was Dh26,498,732 from January till June 2020.

Locally, Dar Al Ber Society has also given 4,706 beneficiaries a total of Dh42,901,495 aid in the form of medical treatment, education, housing, and other expenses from January until end of August this year.

Al Mazrouei said doing charity work “contributes to promoting kindness, tolerance, spreading love and togetherness, and happiness among various peoples of the world.”

He added: “I call on people of goodness and philanthropists to contribute to charitable and humanitarian projects and initiatives supervised by Dar Al Ber in order to serve more needy people and alleviate their sufferings.”

Why September 5?

The International Day of Charity is an international day observed annually on September 5.

According to UN, “the date was chosen to commemorate the death anniversary of Mother Teresa of Kolkata, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace.”

Mother Teresa was an Albanian-Indian Catholic nun and missionary. She was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu in 1910. In 1928 she went to India, where she devoted herself to helping the destitute. In 1948 she became an Indian citizen and founded the order of Missionaries of Charity.

For over 45 years she ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned and dying. Her missionary work has been acclaimed throughout the world. She died on September 5, 1997, at the age of 87. She was canonised on September 4, 2016 as Saint Teresa.