Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, stressed that generosity and the UAE are two sides of the same coin, and that the "1 Billion Meals Endowment" campaign will continue to welcome donations throughout the year.
Once again leading by example and showing his full support of charity efforts in the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid has announced his personal contribution of real estate assets and monetary contributions worth Dh250 million, pushing total contributions to the campaign to Dh1.075 billion, Dh825 million of which was donated by over 180,000 contributors.
"Ramadan is a special time in the UAE thanks to the acts of kindness it encourages, to the people of this nation and to the noble values instilled in us by the late Sheikh Zayed. The UAE stands strong because of its charity efforts, and because of the prayers of millions of people who benefit from them," His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said.
"Endowments is a great tradition that we aim to continue, to ensure the sustainability of giving and generosity. The endowment will always be open to contributions as we encourage more people to be part of this food aid initiative. And we give our thanks to everyone who contributed to the largest ongoing charity in the UAE," he added.
The "1 Billion Meals Endowment" campaign has seen a remarkable community-wide response to donating and helping provide a food safety net for underprivileged communities around the world. The endowment fund will continue to welcome contributions throughout the year.
The campaign received donations in the form of land, corporate shares and monetary contributions from businesses and individuals, as well as daily subscriptions to donate by thousands of community members.
Record success
Launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in what has become an annual Ramadan tradition, the "1 Billion Meals Endowment" campaign, under the umbrella of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has raised a total of Dh1.075 billion in record time amidst community-wide support. More than 180,000 donators supported the aim of establishing the largest Ramadan food aid endowment fund through the campaign's website, a dedicated call center, bank transfers, SMS for du and etisalat by e& users, and the DubaiNow app.
Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Secretary-General of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, said, "The success of 1 Billion Meals Endowment campaign which launched the largest Ramadan food aid endowment fund is proof that the UAE, under the leadership of its President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will continue to firmly established its leading role regionally and internationally as an active hub for highly-effective humanitarian work.
"The remarkable response we saw in support of the campaign, and the contributions it received, reflect a deeply rooted culture of giving and generosity in the UAE community, which is the secret behind the success of this campaign and all other humanitarian initiatives launched in the UAE through its various charities and humanitarian establishments.
"His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's support of the campaign with a Dh250 million contribution paints a bright image of generosity practiced by both the UAE's leadership and its people, and is a true embodiment of the leader who leads by example," he added.
Noble Numbers
The Most Noble Number charity auctions for special numbers held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi contributed to the campaign as well. The Most Noble Number charity auction in Dubai raised a total of Dh97.920 million, with Dh 91.590 million raised for special vehicle plate numbers, Dh3,322,500 for Diamond+ mobile numbers provided by etisalat by e&, and Dh3,007,500 raised for du special mobile numbers.
The 2nd edition of the Most Noble Number online charity auction organised by the Abu Dhabi Police raised Dh71,029,400 for a total of 555 plate numbers.
Honouring major contributors
In appreciation for their generous contributions, Major supporters of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives and contributors to the food aid endowment fund were honored in a creative way, as they were invited to ring the Nasdaq Dubai market opening bell in celebration of "1 Billion Meals Endowment" campaign, which aims to provide a food safety net for underprivileged populations and implement sustainable measures to fight and eradicate hunger.
The "1 Billion Meals Endowment" campaign enhances the UAE's humanitarian role regionally and internationally, and highlights its unwavering commitment towards helping communities and individuals in need around the world.
The campaign builds on the success of previous food aid campaigns starting with "10 Million Meals" campaign in Ramadan 2020, which exceeded its target and provided 15.3 million meals from donators of 115 nationalities, and with the help of over 1,000 volunteers. This was followed in Ramadan 2021 by "100 Million Meals" campaign which doubled its target and distributed 220 meals thanks to the contributions of 385,000 donors from 51 nationalities. Later, "1 Billion Meals" campaign launched in Ramadan 2022 and hit its target in under a month, providing meals in 50 countries around the world with the support of 320,868 donors.
