Noor Dubai Foundation launches Sukuk Al Noor

Dubai: Noor Dubai Foundation, a UAE-based charity focused on the prevention of blindness and visual impairment globally, in collaboration with Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy, the UAE’s philanthropic foundation, and National Bonds, the UAE’s leading savings and investment company owned by the Investment Corporation of Dubai, launched today the Sukuk Al Noor, a permanent and timed Waqf aimed at bringing prevention, treatments and healing to the visually impaired around the world.

Launched in tandem with World Sight Day, Sukuk Al Noor is an opportunity for individuals and corporates in the UAE to place their contribution into a savings account and direct the profits earned from it to the Noor Dubai Foundation for projects that aim to benefit 30 million people through Sukuk Al Noor.

Awadh Seghayer Al Ketbi, Chairman of the Board of the Noor Dubai Foundation, expressed his gratitude to the partners and contributors.

He said: “The UAE has made an impactful contribution in the field of humanitarian and charitable aid. The UAE continues to rank among the largest providers of official development assistance (ODA) relative to national income worldwide.”

Al Ketbi said Noor Dubai was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in 2008 and since its inception until 2022, it has benefitted 33 million people around the world, through its treatment, preventive and awareness programmes.

Al Ketbi added that the scale of preventable vision loss globally is still a significant challenge and one that needs all stakeholders to join hands. The Sukuk Al Noor initiative is an opportunity to extend a helping hand to those in most need across the world and to provide the gift of sight through Noor Dubai’s global initiatives.

Ali Al Mutawa, Secretary General of Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (AMAF), reiterated the foundation’s commitment to support and care for patients suffering from preventable vision loss in collaboration with Noor Dubai Foundation.

He said: “After the campaign duration ends, donors are free to withdraw the actual contribution amount or donate it to the Noor Dubai Foundation. This initiative is an opportunity for community members to contribute towards restoring the vision of millions of people around the world.”

National Bonds Group CEO Mohammed Qasim Al Ali said: “As human beings, we all have a moral obligation to contribute to the betterment of our society. Through this global initiative, we want to give every corporate and individual in the UAE the opportunity to stand in solidarity with those who are visually impaired and enable them to do their part in serving the community and those in need. We at National Bonds are honored to be part of this program with the MBRGI and Noor Dubai Foundation and invite all in the UAE to join us in making a real difference in the lives of countless people across the globe.”

The Sukuk Al Noor initiative provides a Shari’a-compliant, secure and sustainable method of depositing charitable funds and encourages people to participate in the act of giving.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), visual impairment is constantly increasing where every five seconds, a person loses his or her sight and 90 per cent of visual impairment is preventable or curable.