Dubai: The Community Development Authority (CDA) has launched Dubai Volunteering Centre — the UAE’s first governmental centre for voluntary work — as a part of its efforts to promote awareness about voluntary culture in Dubai and develop social service standards.
The Centre, which also comes in line with the UAE Vision 2021 and the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015 to promote voluntary culture, aims at spreading awareness about the importance of this culture, encourage individuals to participate in volunteering activities, and qualify and train volunteers in cooperation with authorities concerned from both the public and private sectors.
Announcing the Centre, Khaled Al Kamda, Director General of CDA, said: “This is a very significant initiative as it emphasis the importance of voluntary work and offers the community an excellent network of services in this regard according to global best practices, under the directives of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai”.
He added: “Voluntary work in the UAE experienced remarkable growth in many aspects such as the increase in the number of volunteer groups and members, as well as the number of activities in this respect. Through the Dubai Volunteering Center- operating under the umbrella of CDA – we seek to increase volunteering activities and regulate voluntary work.”
The Center provides a comprehensive data Registration System, Voluntary Rights framework, Training and Developing framework, a system that provisions volunteering opportunities, Hourly System, Voluntary Work Marketing System and a Voluntary Event and Activities Evaluation System. A number of highly –professional employees and experts work at the Center to meet customers’ demands.
The Center will also work on organising an annual training plan with tailor made workshops for registered volunteers in cooperation with partnering centres and organisations, as well as hold 16 awareness lectures about volunteering for private and public sectors, schools and universities. Additionally, it seeks to offer volunteering services to the community by co-launching initiatives and programmes with strategic partners.
The Center’s aim is to guarantee volunteers’ rights, appreciate their work, identify the total number of volunteers in the emirate as well as encourage volunteers to increase volunteering hours that would ensure special awards for them.
