Dubai: The spirit of charity giving is definitely on in the UAE, with the UAE Suqia (Water Aid) campaign generating more than Dh100 million in just ten days, about Dh8.8 million of which came from expatriates and UAE nationals, the Government of Dubai Media Office announced on Monday.
The campaign, which kicked off on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan and launched by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, seeks to help 5 million people who don’t have a regular supply of potable water.
The lack of drinking water is a global and growing concern. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there are 780 million people around the world, nearly half of them in Africa, who don’t have access to clean water. That’s more than 80 times the population in the UAE.
On top of that, a family loses one child to water-related illness every 21 seconds. Only a few years ago, this number was every 15 seconds, WHO said.
Donations in the UAE are being collected through Du and Etisalat SMS service and have so far reached Dh103,252 million, about 83 per cent of the campaign’s target. The money raised will be used to build wells, install pumps and provide water purification equipment that will benefit 4,130 million people in the developing countries.
On the tenth day, private sector donations also poured in, including the Dh1 million from an anonymous donor, Dh1 million from Yousuf Ali on behalf of Emke Group, Dh500,000 from Anjuman Najmi serving Dubai’s Alavi Bohra, Dh300,000 from the Board of Directors of Jafaria Awqaf, Dh250,000 from Ziad Al Ghazali, Dh250,000 from Dubai Courts, Dh52,000 from Fakhry Centre and Dh1 million from Dubai Health Authority.
The Kaloti Foundation, the charitable arm of Kaloti Precious Metals, also announced on Tuesday that it has donated Dh250,000 to the UAE Water Aid Campaign.
To highlight the gravity of the lack of water supply problem around the world, the WHO has laid down some facts:
• About 3.4 million people die every year due to water, sanitation and hygiene-related causes, with nearly 100 per cent of the deaths occurring in the developing world.
• Lack of water and proper sanitation claims the life of children at a rate equivalent to a jumbo jet crashing every four hours.
• A resident in the US taking a five-minute shower uses more water than the average person in a developing country slum uses for an entire day.
Here’s how to donate:
Through SMS:
• Text the word “WATER” to the below numbers (du and etisalat)
8025 for Dh25
8075 for Dh75
8150 for Dh150
8250 for Dh250
8500 for Dh500
• For example: If you want to donate Dh150, text “WATER” and send to 8150 (both du and etisalat users).
Through banks:
• Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
Account Name: UAE Water Aid
Account No: 10010530
IBAN: AE560500000000010010530
• Dubai Islamic Bank
Account Name: UAE Water Aid
Account No: 003-52051541-7001
IBAN: AE550240003520515417001
• Emirates Islamic Bank
Account Name: UAE Water Aid
Account No: 0071-679679-014
IBAN: AE050340000071679679014
• Al-Hilal Bank
Account Name: UAE Water Aid
Account No: 26419000166
IBAN: AE720530000026419000166
• Sharjah Islamic Bank
Account Name: UAE Water Aid
Account No: 60445518015
IBAN: AE120410000060445518015
• Noor Bank
Account Name: UAE Water Aid
Account No: 012 3111053 0025
IBAN: AE710520001231110530025
• Ajman Bank
Account Name: UAE Water Aid
Account No: 11053133022
IBAN: AE770570000011053133022
