Dubai Bank sponsors orphans' dinner

The dinner, which was held last night at the Mövenpick Hotel in Bur Dubai, represented the culmination of the three-phase Beloveds' Forum initiative that began earlier this year, and which included recreational and social development programmes for orphaned children, all of which were supervised by volunteers from both Dubai Bank and DOHMS.

Speaking at the dinner, Mr Mohammed Juma, Head of Corporate Communications at Dubai Bank, affirmed the bank's commitment to the community and the goal of good corporate citizenship. 'At Dubai Bank, we are firmly committed to upholding the values and vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, through giving back to the community and improving the lives of nationals and residents alike,' said Juma.

'The Beloveds' Forum initiative has been an enriching experience for all of us who have been involved in it,' he continued, 'and we sincerely believe that initiatives such as this are extremely important. As an ethical and Shari'a-compliant institution, we are committed to upholding ethical values, not only in our business dealings, but also in our relations with the community, and the Beloveds' Forum presented us with the perfect opportunity to promote these values.'

Dubai Bank was involved in a number of programmes as part of its sponsorship of the Beloveds' Forum. The programmes included volunteers from the bank and from DOHMS taking groups of orphans on a recreational outing to the Mall of the Emirates where they tackled the slopes at Ski Dubai, as well as organising a desert safari excursion and a visit to the Arab Peninsula Animal Centre.

Ms Masouma Ahmed, Head of the DOHMS Social Services and Medical Care Unit, thanked Dubai Bank for its contribution to the programme, saying:

'One of the key goals of the Beloveds' Forum initiative was to inculcate charity work as being a means for building up a healthy society. The partnership between Dubai Bank and DOHMS has been very successful in this regard, and has also been beneficial to the children involved. On behalf of DOHMS, I would like to extend heartfelt thanks to Dubai Bank for its support and commitment to the programme, and to improving the lives of these children.'

Sponsorship of the Beloveds' Forum initiative is not Dubai Bank's only contribution to the community in terms of corporate social responsibility. Earlier this year, employees from the bank's Al Buhaira branch visited the Sharjah Autism Centre, where they presented the centre with a number of educational games and toys.

Dubai Bank also entered into an agreement with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Foundation last year, whereby the bank opened an account for the Foundation in order to facilitate its operations and promote its charitable work for the underprivileged.

Since signing the agreement, the bank has made a number of donations to the Foundation in support of its vision of improving the lives of the less fortunate, including a contribution of Dhs1.1m in March of this year.