A prominent Emirati businesswoman has made a Dh5 million donation to the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development.
The gift by Muna Al Gurg, a director at the retail and construction company Al Gurg Group, was welcomed by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Writing on Twitter, he thanked her for the generous sum and said her actions served as a model for others to emulate.
“Muna Al Gurg’s donation to the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development is a good example of businessmen and women's generosity and their investment in social welfare programmes and youth empowerment", Sheikh Abdullah said.
Ms Al Gurg retweeted Sheikh Abdullah’s post, saying “what we offer is of no value compared to what the nation has bestowed upon us.
“We are being grateful to this benevolent land, especially when we remember this year, The Year of Zayed, the founding father,” she said.
“Thank you for your kind words that I shall forever be proud of.”
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In a statement, the Emirates Foundation for Youth Development said it intended to use the donation to further support six ongoing programmes in the UAE.
The initiatives will focus on science, technology and innovation, social entrepreneurship, financial literacy, volunteerism and employability.
Ms Al Gurg has been a board member of the Emirates Foundation since 2005.
She has also served as chairwoman of the independent non-profit organisation Young Arab Leaders, where she promoted education, entrepreneurship and youth development.
Ms Al Gurg is also a member of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Sustainability Board. It aims to promote sustainable solutions to refugees in the MENA region.
“His Highness Sheikh Zayed once said that we should use the wealth which God has provided us in the service of the nation,” Ms Al Gurg said.
“This edict should not just apply to our government, but to all of us who have been blessed with prosperity thanks to the wise leadership of the UAE.
“It is our duty as individuals to ‘pay it forward’ to the generations who come after us.”
