Another drop in the ocean: The UAE’s Well of Hope

Yesterday, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, launched the ‘Well of Hope’ competition, extending his “search for the strength in every human being”. Launched to coincide with the Holy month of Ramadan in this Year of Tolerance, employees of 20 public and private sector UAE firms will be selected to pump as much virtual water as they can through a digital device. At the end of the campaign, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives will donate the actual amount of water thus pumped to those with limited and/or no access to clean water.

The creativity of the humanitarian campaign lies in its simplicity – while it will ensure the precious resource reaches the less fortunate and those living in remote areas, it also highlights how collective effort can result in noble achievements that are far greater than the sum of such individual attempts. In addition, the campaign squarely puts the spotlight on a burning global issue – that of water scarcity. According to the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia UAE), water scarcity affects more than 40 per cent of the world’s population and is projected to rise. About 844 million people face a daily struggle for water despite there being sufficient fresh water sources on Earth. The issue remains one of access (or the lack of it), with hundreds of millions living in isolated and rural areas having to walk miles every day to collect potable drinking for self and their family.

The scope and intensity of the UAE’s humanitarian initiatives never ceases to amaze. The UAE has been introduced hundreds of campaigns in dozens of countries to further enhance the culture of giving that is embedded in the country’s fabric and in the hearts and minds of its citizens and residents. The UAE has emerged as the world’s largest Official Development Aid donor relative to national income for five consecutive years. The latest initiative is another drop in the ocean of the UAE’s kindness. As Sheikh Mohammed puts it, “small gestures can make a big difference to ourselves before others”.