Bank Sarasin - Alpen & Alpen Capital donate Dhs1m to 'Dubai Cares' campaign

Walia said: 'We were moved by the touching statement from H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at the launch of the campaign. He highlighted that lack of education is the primary cause of poverty and the dreadful suffering among the poor.

'The campaign's objective was a great motivation for us to play our part in this unique humanitarian initiative. As a leading financial institution, based in Switzerland, we are already actively involved in several charity programmes for children around the world.

'This is the first time a charity campaign has been launched on such a large scale in support of poor children, eliciting an impressive participation level. Education is an indispensable platform for development and we believe the campaign will help change the future of deserving communities,' Walia added.

Dubai Cares is the latest in a line of international initiatives that express Dubai's commitment to secure a better tomorrow for the world's future generations. The campaign is Dubai's contribution to drive the U.N. Millennium Development Goal of achieving universal primary education by 2015.