Take the stairs and contribute to charity at Metro stations

The money that will be raised will be included in the Dirham Khair and the beneficiaries will be identified with the help of the Beit Al Khair and the Dar Al Ber Society.” RTA official

dubai — Here’s how you can keep yourself healthy on the go while at the same time be able to help raise money for charity. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) will raise Dh1 for every commuter who will use the stairs in at least two Dubai Metro stations starting next week, an RTA official told Khaleej Times.

The money that will be raised will be donated by the RTA to a charitable institution and the initiative, dubbed as Charitable Steps, is one of the RTA’s seven programmes for 2017’s Year of Giving that will be scaled up for next year’s declaration of Year of Zayed.

The RTA said Charitable Steps will be initially rolled out at two Dubai Metro stations. “We have a system to monitor how many people are using the stairs (ascending and descending) instead of the escalators or the lifts. The money that will be raised will be included in the Dirham Khair (Arabic word for giving) and the beneficiaries will be identified with the help of Beit Al Khair and Dar Al Ber Society,” the RTA explained.

“We are promoting both healthy lifestyle and charity with this initiative,” the RTA added.

The authority is also ramping up its other initiatives launched this year. Before the year ends, two buses and 50 bicycles will be delivered to schools in Uganda and Tanzania. A special delegation from the RTA and the Dar Al Ber Society will visit the two countries to work on the specifications of the school buses.

The RTA said its corporate social responsibility initiatives are based on its thrust which is mobility. The authority has also partnered with special needs centres to provide at least one wheelchair at a cost of Dh20,000 a month to a needy child of determination.

The RTA will also boost its partnership with the private sector to encourage management and staff to participate in charitable activities during and after working hours.

For fresh Emirati graduates, the authority will also provide paid internship programmes, where they will also experience a oneon-one mentorship from its senior officials. “This will fully equip them (graduates) as they enter the workforce,” the RTA said.

Internally, the RTA will also boost its financial assistance to its employees through its charity bridge initiative. Any RTA employee in need of monetary assistance can ask help from the initiative, which raises fund from the staff.

angel@khaleejtimes.com