Dubai: Bridal clothes donated by humanitarians in Dubai will soon help educate underprivileged girls in Ethiopia.
Shaikha Manal Bint Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, president of the Dubai Women Establishment and wife of Shaikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, announced that the fifth and largest ‘Designs of Hope’ exhibition will be held as a bridal edition in support of the ‘teacHER’ campaign.
Shaikha Manal said the ‘teacHER’ campaign, launched last year by Al Manal Humanitarian Initiative to support children’s education, particularly of girls, supports the UAE’s humanitarian efforts by strengthening the educational environment of girls in developing countries.
This year’s ‘Designs of Hope’ exhibition will take place from May 2 to 7 at Dubai Ladies Club in Jumeirah, in partnership with international social enterprise ‘Brides Do Good’, said a press release.
The exhibition will feature pre-loved and donated luxury brand wedding dresses from bridal designers, retailers, and influencers, to be sold at a 50 to 75 per cent markdown from original retail prices.
Sales proceeds will support Al Manal Humanitarian Initiative’s ‘teacHER’ campaign, which is being implemented this year in cooperation with Plan International, a humanitarian organisation that works across 71 countries to advance children’s rights and equality.
Funds raised will go towards supporting an educational project for children in Ethiopia, with an emphasis on girls’ education.
The project will support six schools in host communities with 18 new classrooms, new latrines, and learning materials, as part of a broader project that aims to reach 39,550 refugee and local children in Ethiopia.
The project includes running accelerated remedial classes for children who have fallen behind, training teachers on how to give vulnerable children, particularly girls, post-trauma counselling and help, and establishing community-learning hubs to increase adult literacy and support mothers as mentors and champions of girls’ education.
The campaign successfully raised funds which went towards building two primary schools in Nepal and Senegal and supported a girls’ education programme in Egypt. The initiative provided a safe educational environment for the children, reduced illiteracy among adults through educational sessions in the schools, and provided teachers with the necessary skills to educate children and adults. The campaign was implemented in collaboration with Dubai Cares, part of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives.
