18-year-old Dubai resident to raise $500K for charity in US
dubai — An 18-year-old Dubai resident who recently joined the University of California, Los Angeles, as a medical student, is making the country proud by initiating a philanthropic initiative in a charity hospital in California.
Marwan Masri, a Syrian national, initiated a Leadership Gift valued at $500,000 to support lives of thousands of premature babies at the hospital. He has been provided a period of five years to complete the process of making this gift.
A former student of Al Mawakeb School in Dubai, Marwan is currently vacationing in Dubai and raising awareness about the initiative, seeking support of a number of doctors and hospitals of the UAE.
Marwan’s plan is to support a variety of social causes and community outreach programmes rolled out by the Providence Holy Cross Medical Centre, mainly a 6.4 million philanthropic project titled ‘Little Miracles Initiative’ for saving the lives of premature babies. The charity medical centre provides healing and healthcare to the people of San Fernando, Santa Clarita and Simi Valleys in the Mission Hills district of California.
Talking about the $500,000 target and his ability to achieve it, Marwan said: “It is always good to have a set goal in mind so that you can work towards it and meet it. It keeps us motivated but it does not mean we will necessarily meet it or stop at it. I will do as much as I can.
“It all began when I received a mail from the hospital, seeking donations for the ‘Little Miracles Initiative’. It gave me a chance to volunteer at the hospital and see the pressing need for the expansion of their neonatal intensive care unit.
What moved Marwan was a meeting with one of the hospital executives who told him “we should be
Any act of kindness should not be limited to a specific race, religion or nationality. Treat each other like humans first without caring to focus on their background.”
Marwan Masri, Syrian national
providing healthcare to every patient as if he or she is our family member and you will make a difference”.
“I would like to say that I am championing the UAE’s mentality outside the UAE. I have been influenced by the leadership of the UAE who have been providing aid and support to so many countries. When you grow in such an environment, it humbles you and helps you passionately work to make the world a better place,” he said.
Not forgetting his Syrian community, Marwan said: “I am also turning into a goodwill ambassador for my community. As a Syrian national, it was quite a task getting admission in the US. There were two ways I could go about it — either hold a grudge against the US for making it difficult to achieve my dream or represent my community by doing good and telling they should not treat people on the basis of their race, ethnicity or nationality.”
Giving out a message to the youth, Marwan said: “Any act of kindness should not be limited to a specific race, religion or nationality. Treat each other like humans first without caring to focus on the background.”