Dubai shows that it cares

The eight-week Dubai Cares campaign was launched during Ramadan with the aim of providing primary education to one million children in poor countries throughout the world.

The charity was immediately embraced by the Dubai community, and ended on a dramatic high note, with His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum's surprise announcement at the campaign's closing ceremony that he would match the figure raised by the charity - bringing its final tally to Dhs3.4bn ($926m). Officials had initially hoped to raise Dhs200m.

Leadership was key

What made the charity so successful? Christine Tight, a senior consultant who helped to run the campaign, said a key factor was the leadership of Maktoum. 'The decision to conduct the campaign was made only 13 weeks before Ramadan, so we had a short time frame. But every obstacle was taken out of the way,' Tight said.

Maktoum also emphasised that Dubai Cares was a great opportunity for the corporate community to prove its commitment to CSR values, and for the city to show that it is ready to be a global citizen.

It was also the first time Maktoum had ever asked the people of Dubai to come together and give something back to the community. 'Nothing had ever been done on this scale before, and people responded to that,' she said.

Another key to the charity's success was its theme of fighting poverty through education. 'The issue of primary and secondary education resonates with people in this region. It was an issue people could relate to. If children don't become literate you cannot fight poverty, and in order to address illiteracy you need to focus on the primary and secondary level.'

Finally, the spirit of Dubai also was an important factor in the campaign's success. 'The Dubai spirit is: if you are going to do something, you do it in a big way. That's how His Highness approached it, and that is how it was embraced by everyone.'

How soon will the funds be distributed? 'We are taking this very seriously,' Tight noted. 'We are doing our due diligence. We want to make sure that the money goes to the right place and has maximum impact. The people of Dubai have contributed the funds, so it is their money and they want to see where it is going. The process will be very transparent.'

The charity has reviewed a number of proposals, but nothing has been earmarked yet. 'We are talking to various organisations and countries. We will make an announcement when we have made our final decision.'

More charities planned

Dubai Cares will not be a one-off charity drive. The Dubai leadership plans to run similar campaigns on an annual basis. While the timing for next years' campaign has not been determined, it has been decided that the theme of the next years' charity will be different.

'Next year's theme will be volunteerism within the UAE and globally,' Tight said. 'Rather than focus on contributions of money, next year's campaign will seek donations of people's time and focus. It's going to be fantastic. It will be equally as impactful as this year's campaign.'

See also:
HH Sheikh Mohammed doubles Dubai Cares donations to Dhs3.4bn
United Nations applauds 'Dubai Cares' for initiative on education