The season of goodwill lasts all year for UAE charity
▶ Umm Al Quwain Charity Association helps with school fees and medical cover for those in need
Christmas is traditionally a time for giving – but one UAE charitable organisation is spreading goodwill all year round.
Umm Al Quwain Charity Association provides a vital lifeline when it is needed most, from helping low-income families to cover crippling school fees to ensuring patients battling chronic illnesses have essential medical support.
More than 600 pupils of various nationalities have been given financial aid by the caring team to help them stay in school during this academic year.
The organisation distributed Dh400,000 to meet students’ university fees and another Dh880,000 to pay the rents and debts of families in financial difficulties.
“Without the association’s help my children would not have the chance to complete their studies, or have a roof over their heads,” said Adel Ali, 59, an Egyptian father of five who works as a school bus driver in Umm Al Quwain.
“Our income doesn’t cover the family expenses especially after my wife left her job in 2015 after having a stroke which left her half paralysed.”
One of Mr Ali’s daughters had to leave college to take care of her mother. Another daughter is studying nursing at the University of Sharjah and a third is still at school.
“The association helped me cover most of the school fees for my son who is now in Grade 11 and my daughter’s university fees, along with helping me find a way to pay the rent through guiding me to other charity organisations, plus providing my wife with the monthly needed medication,” he said.
“Life with a family and many responsibilities is not easy and we are always in need as my salary doesn’t exceed Dh4,000, but we are all very grateful for their support and we would have never found such support anywhere else.”
Another resident said he had benefited from the associatwo tion’s generosity since 2014.
“They helped me pay half of the tuition fees of my two daughters at school when I reached out for their help four years ago, and helped me cover my son’s medical expenses when he had to be admitted to the hospital last year,” said Hasan Eid, 62, a retired Palestinian sailor and father of five.
The association also helps Emiratis to replace their old household and electronic goods with new products.
“They help in everything and when I applied to change my old household goods, it didn’t take them much time to approve after they visited my house and found that some of the electronics and furniture needed to be changed,” said Juma Hasan, 75, a retired Emirati father of seven.
“In less than five days they changed all the old electronics such as the AC and provided us with brand new furniture.”
The association has also helped a cancer patient with a Comoros Islands passport to pay his medical fees after his doctor requested him to undergo urgent surgery to remove an infection after treatmen for oesophageal cancer.
“I received treatment for oesophageal cancer two years ago and this year the doctor found some infection and needed to operate so I sent my papers to the association to help me cover the medical expenses, and they did,” said Mohammed Al Baloushi, 46.
“The association always try to help and we are grateful for all their efforts.”
Essa Bolehyool, general manager of the association, said staff checked the merits of each plea for help on an individual basis.
“We have a team that verifies the documents and makes home visits to check the family status, and after that we offer the needed help according to the allocated budget,” Mr Bolehyool said.
“This year we allocated Dh1 million for school fees, and any resident with an income below Dh10,000 is eligible to receive our support.”
He said that the association also provided monthly food coupons, paid electricity connection fees and could help with prisoners’ debts.
The association was set up in 1979, under the directives of the late Sheikh Rashid bin Ahmad Al Mualla, former Ruler of UAQ, to help people of various religions, nationalities and ethnic backgrounds.
The association, in Al Ruadah area, accepts donations and can be contacted on 06 764 0330.
More than 600 pupils of various nationalities have been given financial aid by the caring team