When His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum launches an initiative, the world takes note!
Sheikh Mo -- as we affectionately refer to the
Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai -- launched the
Dress 1
Million Needy Children campaign on the second day of
the Holy Month of Ramadan (July 11).
This is in keeping with the spirit of giving and
sharing that takes over the Emirates during the Holy Month and which is maybe
less visible during the rest of the year.
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Sheikh Mo posted on his Facebook page: “Today we launched #Dress1MillionNeedyChildren
campaign to make the needy children happier around the world. Giving joy and
support to 1 million children is our mission for this Ramadan. I invite
everyone to be part of this campaign, and remember that the more we give, the
more we get back. Children are the most helpless in disasters and conflicts,
and we will do our best to help them. Dubai
Cares’ achievements
in supporting 8 million children gave us confidence to begin our new campaign
today. Giving is a deeply rooted value in our religion, and the UAE has built
its foundation on that basis.”
The campaign
embodies the true meaning of giving and the ideals the
Holy Month of Ramadan upholds, including generosity, benevolence and
extending a helping hand to those less fortunate.
During Ramadan, most mosques put out iftars for breaking the fast at dusk
(see Ramadan in Dubai),
organizations distribute food to workers and the needy, others line main roads
to offer drivers late in getting home dates and water, local residents give
away food and have queues in front of their villas…
Of course, there is a lot of waste in hotels and
restaurants and even in homes, but reminders are always going out to avoid this.
There is a number to call to arrange pickup and delivery of excess food.
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| Photo via Hesham G. Ahmed on Facebook |
One supermarket is even offering free grocery items!
The objective of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Dress 1
Million Needy Children Around the World campaign is to promote the concept of
giving and generosity during Ramadan and to provide UAE citizens and residents
with the opportunity to partake in a distinctive humanitarian initiative.
The campaign will work on collecting donations in coordination with
the UAE Red Crescent Authority and
telecoms operators du and Etisalat.
In the first two days of the Dress 1 Million Children,
75,000 were already taken care of thanks to an AED 3 million donation by telecom
company du in support of Sheikh Mo’s initiative.
The campaign needs AED 40 million to cloth all one
million of the world’s desperate children at the cost of AED 40 per outfit.
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| Distribution by the UAE Red Crescent in Bosnia... |
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| and in Yemen |
The UAE Red Crescent has already started distributing
clothes to 10,000 Bosnian children, as well as in Yemen, as part of the campaign that can be monitored on Facebook.
Donations towards the campaign can be made by SMS, by bank transfer
into one of the UAE Red Crescent bank accounts, or by visiting UAE Red Crescent
Authority fundraising booths located around the UAE and its main website.
To contribute to “Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s Dress 1 Million
Needy Children” campaign by SMS, send the word “dress” to the following numbers
(du and Etisalat):
- 7040 to donate AED 40 and dress 1 child
- 7160 to donate AED 160 and dress 4 children
- 7240 to donate AED 240 and dress 6 children
- 7400 to donate AED 400 and dress 10 children
In addition, contributions can be made via bank transfers to UAE Red Crescent bank accounts.
The campaign runs until 19 Ramadan (July 27).
Countries benefiting from this campaign were selected in close
coordination with the UAE Red Crescent Authority. They were chosen based on
humanitarian situation reports as well as the number of needy children in that
country.
The campaign is limited to children outside the UAE as there are
many local charity organizations, such as the UAE Red Crescent Authority, that
provide other initiatives to local needy children.
The AED 40 cost of dressing one child was calculated and determined
in coordination with the UAE Red Crescent Authority and in keeping with the
suitable value and quality provided by charity organizations that provide
clothing for needy children.
Donations are monetary only since collection, shipment and
distribution of actual clothing material to beneficiaries can be difficult and
costly.
The campaign was organized in coordination with the Red Crescent
Authority precisely to make sure the donations arrive on time and to the right
children who are in need. It has qualified experience in this type of campaign and
has offices and representatives in many countries with children in need.
Dressing 1 million children starts with 1!
Let’s make this happen.
