Charity begins at home in Dubai

On Tuesday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid chaired the inaugural board meeting of the Dh1 billion Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives foundation, which brings together 28 organisations devoted to fighting poverty and illness, and providing education.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, chairs the board of trustees’ first meeting on Tuesday.  Wam
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Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, has placed his family on the front line of efforts to help 130 million people worldwide in the next 10 years.

On Tuesday, he chaired the inaugural board meeting of the Dh1 billion Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives foundation, which brings together 28 organisations devoted to fighting poverty and illness, and providing education.

Other goals in mind for the foundation, one of the largest in the Middle East, will be to empower communities and drive innovation.

The foundation will implement more than 1,400 human development programmes in more than 116 countries.

“To create tangible change, philanthropic work needs a clear vision, strategic planning, defined objectives and efficient management of resources,” Sheikh Mohammed said at Tuesday’s meeting, the first for the board.

“We aim to improve the quality of life of 130 million people, and my sons and family will be on the front lines leading this project. Our ambitions for the philanthropic activities are huge and we need a foundation to realise these ambitions.

“Previously, we could reach more than 56 million beneficiaries. Today we are unifying our entire humanitarian activities under one umbrella to double this number.”

Other goals of the foundation, one of the largest in the Middle East, will be to empower communities and drive innovation.

The foundation will implement more than 1,400 human-development programmes in more than 116 countries.

Among the projects approved at the meeting was one to educate 20 million children, and another to treat and prevent blindness and eye diseases in 30 million people by 2025. Aid organisations in the programme include Dubai Cares, UAE Water Aid and the blindness-prevention charity Noor Dubai.

The foundation will have an annual operating budget of Dh1bn. It will also spend Dh2bn on establishing Middle East medical-research centres and hospitals, and Dh500 million on research dealing with water shortages in the region.

Sheikh Mohammed instructed the board to prepare an executive plan for achieving its objectives – to reach and support 130 million people over the next 10 years. The foundation, which was announced this week, has been welcomed by citizens, said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai and vice president of the board of trustees.

“The objectives of the foundation have been well received by our community,” Sheikh Hamdan said.

“The new foundation complements the previous efforts of Sheikh Mohammed and its establishment paves the way for a new phase of philanthropic and developmental activities.”

The meeting was also attended by trustees Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Ahmed bin Mohammed, Chairman of the Mohammed bin Rashid Foundation, and Princess Haya of Jordan, wife of Sheikh Mohammed.

Sheikh Mohammed leads the board of trustees, which includes Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed, Sheikha Maitha bint Mohammed and Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the foundation’s secretary general.

The Vice President had succeeded in creating “a new model for philanthropic activities”, one “that adopts principles of sustainability and international best practices in resources management”, Sheikh Maktoum said.

“I call on the business community to participate in this effort and support the initiative of our leadership,” he said.

In total, investment in education, knowledge and scientific initiatives will amount to Dh1.5bn. The foundation will foster entrepreneurship by supporting 50,000 young business people.

newsdesk@thenational.ae