Giving campaign raises Dh2M for needy kids

dubai — A campaign launched to create a better future for children has raised more than Dh2 million, the National Happiness and Positivity Programme has announced. The campaign ran from Ramadan 2017 till the end of September.

The campaign was part of the programme’s ‘Happiness Is Giving’ project, which supports the UAE’s efforts during the Year of Giving 2017. The initiative was organised in collaboration with the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC), Dubai’s Department of Economic Development (DED), Etisalat Group, and Emirates Integrated Telecommuni- cations Company (du). The campaign saw the participation of 784 shops, with the total number of retail outlets reaching 3,648. All proceeds raised during the campaign were donated to the ERC to finance projects and initiatives that seek to improve lives around the world.

“Create a Better Future for Children” sought to implement steps and activities to improve children’s lives, as directed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. He had called for making the Holy Month of Ramadan “a starting point for great initiatives that serve the greater good”, in line with the objectives of the Year of Giving. Dr Mohammad Ateeq Al Falahi, secretary general of the ERC, said: “The ERC conducts a great deal of aid and development programmes in various parts of the world. These make the UAE an inspiring role model and a force for good, dealing with global issues that threaten people’s wellbeing worldwide.”