Dubai
Dubai: Fasten your seatbelts, a flight to Venus is getting ready to take off.
Forget Mars, you can now book tickets to Venus, Jupiter and Neptune, though we are still not sure if these planets are inhabitable. Importantly, it’s not going to cost you a fortune, with a first class ticket to these extraterrestrial destinations costing just Dh100.
But, the only catch is that the promised flights are going to be virtual as part of a Dubai Cares fundraising campaign to enable children and youth from impoverished communities to realise their dreams of becoming pilots, doctors, teachers, architects and artists.
Though, you may not be able to take a flight to outer space, but through the campaign announced on Tuesday by Dubai Cares — Bookings 2030 — donors will be able to make a difference to the lives of millions of children who are currently deprived of quality education.
The campaign invites the UAE community to make a booking with a future professional in 2030.
As part of its Ramadan fundraising programmes, Dubai Cares on Tuesday unveiled the website for the campaign — www.bookings2030.ae. Donors can log on to the portal and book an appointment with a future doctor, buy a ticket with a future pilot or book a lecture with a future teacher.
The campaign hovers around six child characters belonging to different communities affected by conflicts and natural calamities with the idea of helping pursue their dream by 2030.
According to the CEO of Dubai Cares Tariq Al Gurg, the funds raised will not directly reach the children that are part of the campaign but they will be used to provide quality education to children and youth in the communities they belong to.
“They are real people with real dreams, but the proceeds won’t go to them directly. This is just a way of reaching out to people and getting them involved. The funds raised will contribute to the reskilling revolution by the World Economic Forum (WEF) which hopes to provide skills to 15 million people by 2021,” said Al Gurg.
Logging on to the website, people can choose to donate by purchasing a virtual ticket or booking an appointment with a future doctor or a teacher, while they can also donate without having to go through the booking process.
Payments can be made either through PayPal or credit/debit cards.
