Campaigner walks the talk for causes
“No one is born a warrior and no one is born an average man. You make yourself one or the other.” This message posted on Jalal Jamal Majid bin Thaneya’s Twitter account is also his personal philosophy.
The 31-year-old describes himself as a journeyman, artist and campaigner. The UAE national is a dedicated campaigner for the causes of people of determination and aims to bridge the gap between them and the rest of the community. He asserts that one does not have to be challenged to represent or highlight circumstances faced by society.
Jalal has been fundraising and campaigning for children and adults with special needs since 2006. For the past 10 years, he has trekked, cycled and climbed his way through a variety of challenges to raise funds for charitable organisations across the UAE.
“When you feel strongly about something, nothing can stop you from making it happen,” said Jalal, who started his first campaign at the age of 20. “That was in 2006, when I travelled 500km across the desert, mountain and urban landscape of the UAE on foot to raise awareness and funds for the Dubai Autism Centre. At the time, this centre for children and young people with autism was in desperate need of publicity and funding. Today, it is a large, thriving facility that is well known within the region.”
Jalal believes that one needs to have a cause to work towards to ignite your ambition and passion, and giving you a direction and goal. “Back then, not a lot of CSR initiatives were being taken seriously and people laughed at me when I went to them for sponsorship. Today, almost all the well-known companies and government authorities have a mandate to highlight raising awareness for people of determination.
“I believe I was a part of the early charity movements that enabled these ideas in the region. Today, I continue to campaign for special needs.” His most recent effort was in December 2016, when Jalal ran across the UAE, from the Saudi-UAE border to Fujairah. “I faced many challenges such as support vehicles breaking down, dusty unpaved roads and a long, empty highway that was not as easy as expected. But I managed to cover roughly 810km in 14 days.
Leaving no step unclimbed
Jalal questions why we need to have any personal experience to work for a cause. “Is it only when any of your loved ones die of cancer that you will work on creating awareness? This is the problem with our society that we wait to get afflicted with pain in order to talk about it. Why can’t we see the pain of others and try to help them out? This is what we need to make people aware of,” he said.
Jalal’s fundraising efforts have taken him on some incredible journeys. He was the first person on record to cross the seven emirates on foot in 2006 and to cycle across the Gulf region in 2013; he climbed the stairs of 100 skyscrapers across Dubai, and walked from Dubai to the holy city of Makkah. In 2008, he ran a vertical marathon to support special needs people, climbing the stairs of 100 skyscrapers in Dubai in aid of the Rashid Centre for the Determined Ones. During the 13-day charity climb, Jalal scaled 8 to 10 tall buildings, going up and down the towers from 9 am until midnight on some days. Finally, he had trotted up and down a staggering 85,000 steps.
His next journey was in 2009, when Jalal crossed the Empty Quarter, or Rub’ Al Khali, in support of Dubai’s Senses Centre, which treats children with disabilities. “I endured the harsh conditions of this vast expanse of desert sand between Oman and the UAE, which was tough yet rewarding.”
Spanning over 20 days averaging up to 60km per day, the journey began from the Senses Centre in Dubai to Abu Dhabi, going along Sheikh Zayed Road, before heading down to Liwa, trekking through the harsh terrain of the Empty Quarter to the Aradah Fort Umm Hism.
Pilgrimage of service
Talking about his most famous and well-known journey, Jalal listed his walk to Makkah in 2012. It was a 2,000km journey from Abu Dhabi to Makkah on foot. “I had always planned to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors and walk to Makkah to perform Umrah and the annual Haj.
“In December 2011, I embarked on this pilgrimage from Al Ghuwaifat in Abu Dhabi to the city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia, in aid of the Dubai Centre for Special Needs. It took me 47 days to complete this 2,000km journey of a lifetime, during which I had to walk the long, empty highways of Saudi Arabia, and cross the mountains wearing my Ihram. Both challenging and enlightening, my Umrah was an experience I will never forget.
“This journey has transformed me as a person — the mental transformation I have undergone is more drastic than the physical.” Jalal believes that a person doesn’t need a reason to start devoting their time to a cause or to those who are not fairly represented.
Talking about the idea of giving, Jalal says: “Giving your time and understanding to others is the best thing you can do. We need to bring people together, especially during this time when the whole region is going through a turmoil. We have to give them hope and this needs to be done by both sides — the government and the society.”
saman@khaleejtimes.com
Back then, not a lot of CSR initiatives were being taken seriously and people laughed at sponsorship. I believe I was part of the early movements that enabled these ideas.” Jalal Jamal Majid Bin Thaneya, campaigner and activist