Dubai: Residents and visitors can now donate foreign currency in coins and notes, thanks to special charity boxes set up by Dubai Municipality.
Mariam Bin Fahd, director of the Knowledge Management Department at Dubai Municipality, came up with the idea after realising that loose change in foreign currencies is not readily accepted by money exchange houses, banks, charities and shops in the UAE — effectively rendering the change useless.
The boxes, similar to regular charity boxes found in malls and other places, have been placed at the Dubai Municipality headquarters in Deira. They will eventually be placed at Al Twar and Al Manara branches, among other main branches.
At the municipality headquarters, a small museum of sorts has been set up in the reception area to raise awareness about foreign currencies and encourage people to donate.
The idea dawned on Bin Fahd she noticed loose change, carried along from overseas trips by family, piling up at home. She also occasionally spotted some foreign coins in glass donation boxes and contacted a number of charities handling the boxes.
“This charity bank for foreign currencies is a unique idea. We encourage all people to donate, even if it’s one or two spare coins or notes. Sometimes we receive rare currency that is valuable from a historical and collectors’ point of view — that can also boost donations,” Bin Fahd said.
The plan is to also place these charity boxes in other Dubai government departments, such as the Roads and Transport Authority and Dubai Police, eventually covering all seven emirates.
She added that the donations will be handed over to Emirates Airline Foundation, which will convert them into currencies such as the US dollar or UK pound, to fund its philanthropic projects. The foundation is a non-profit establishment for children’s welfare.
In the UAE, like in other places, tourists or residents returning from abroad usually have some foreign change left over from their trip. The municipality initiative will now channel those amounts for a good cause, Bin Fahd added.
