Dubai: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Chairman of the Supreme National Committee for Volunteerism during Crises, chaired the meeting of the committee held remotely via video conferencing.
During the meeting, Sheikh Abdullah stressed the importance of diversifying the volunteering activities of the national campaign, titled, “volunteers.ae,” and focus on the challenges facing the Emirati community, both citizens and residents.
He also directed everyone involved to attract more volunteers from different backgrounds, cultures and nationalities to reflect the UAE’s community, noting that the work of the committee is mainly connected to the efforts of the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, NCEMA.
Sheikh Abdullah highlighted the importance of benefitting from the UAE’s experiences and lessons, to help future generations to be ready and capable to address their challenges, as per the directives of the country’s leadership, stressing his personal support and that of the committee’s members if required.
A team from the campaign explained the progress of their work, supervised by the committee, in the presence of committee members Hessa Essa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development; Dr. Sultan bin Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State; Ohoud bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing; Dr. Mogheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development-Abu Dhabi; Mohamed Abdulla Al Junaibi, Head of Presidential Protocol at the Ministry of Presidential Affairs; Abdulla bin Touq , Secretary-General of the Cabinet, and Obaid Al Hassan Al Shamsi, Director-General of NCEMA.
During the meeting, Dr. Al Jaber noted the work of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, ADNOC, “Virtual Council,” which held 58 remote meetings until the end of June 2020, under the umbrella of the campaign.
Al Roumi presented the “Happiness and Wellbeing Psychological Support Line,” “800HOPE,” available on phone or WhatsApp, adding that since its launch in 19th May, 2020, the line has received more than 1,000 calls from various segments of the community.
The team involved includes volunteers and psychological specialists, and it is currently being enlarged to address a growing number of calls and provide the necessary support.
Al Shamsi presented the latest developments to the campaign’s initiatives, which are being supervised by the committee, adding that since the launch of the campaign in April 2020 up to 30th June , it has attracted 21,847 volunteers from 134 nationalities from around the UAE, including 6,980 citizens and 14,867 residents while offering 185 volunteer opportunities, including 150 field opportunities and 35 virtual opportunities. 7,105 out of them were volunteers from frontline health workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sheikh Abdullah then invited a group of national volunteers involved in the campaign to participate in the meeting, and he was briefed about the nature of their duties and role in the field.
The volunteers thanked Sheikh Abdullah for giving them their opportunity and expressed their pride at participating in the campaign and serving their country.
During his conversation with the volunteers, Sheikh Abdullah said, “On behalf of the committee’s members and myself, I thank you for your significant efforts, time, persistence and initiative to join the campaign in such dire conditions. You have presented one of the noblest actions to your nation, families and community, and words cannot express how much we thank you.”
Those who wish to join the campaign can visit its website www.volunteers.ae, or contact : VOLAE 800 (80086523) or info@volunteers.ae
