Donations pour for UAE Water Aid campaign

Contributions towards the UAE Water Aid campaign have picked up pace with companies digging deep into their pockets.

Lulu Hypermarket, Emirates and Nakheel are the latest to join the list of donors, among others.

While LuLu has donated Dh1 million to help providing clean drinking water, Nakheel has donated Dh5 million for the same.

Union Co-op has contributed Dh250,000 to help drill 50 water wells in developing countries.

Other donors include Shaikha Alia bint Khalifa Al Maktoum, who gave away Dh1 million; Emirates, which donated Dh5 million, and Dubai Land, which contributed Dh500,000.

The campaign was launched last week by His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Telecommunications majors Etisalat and du have each pledged Dh2.5 million for the campaign.

The campaign, which was launched in a gesture of charity and goodwill at the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, will provide access to fresh drinking water for over five million people.

du’s contributions to the aid will reportedly help 100,000 people get access to clean water, as it will be used in coordination with international organisations, the Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) and the UAE embassies, to dig wells and provide water pumps in areas that require water purification equipment.

Ahmad bin Byat, chairman, du, said: “We are proud as an Emirati company to support this cause, which will lead to more sustainable communities that have the potential to flourish and grow, echoing the progress of the UAE itself.

“As His Highness Shaikh Mohammed inspiringly said, ‘The UAE was built upon the eternal principle of doing good deeds in the world, and we will continue in the footsteps of the founding fathers who laid this charitable approach’.”

CEO of du Osman Sultan said: “There are many privileges that we enjoy living in the UAE, which can make it easy to forget that life is more difficult for those less privileged elsewhere in the world. His Highness Shaikh Mohammed has led the way on many visionary initiatives, and we laud him for his continued support of the global community.”

Etisalat too came out in full support of the cause, launching a service called ‘Connections’ to send text messages to its subscribers to raise awareness of the objectives of the campaign and urge them to participate.

Saleh Abdullah Al Abdooli, CEO of Etisalat, said: “His Highness Shaikh Mohammed has always been the finest the values of goodness and philanthropy, particularly with the advent of the holy month.”

To know more about the service, and participate in the campaign, send the word “water” to 8025 to donate Dh25; or to 8075 to donate Dh75; or to 8150 to donate Dh150; or to 8250 to donate Dh250; or to 8500 to donate Dh500.

Remittance and foreign exchange service Al Ansari Exchange also stepped up and came forward with donations to support the UAE Suqia initiative, donating Dh1 million.

Mohammed Ali Al Ansari, chairman and managing director, Al Ansari Exchange, said: “Supporting the UAE Water Aid campaign is a national and humanitarian duty. Our participation in this campaign stems from Al Ansari Exchange’s commitment to contribute effectively to the UAE leadership’s efforts to make the country a leader in global humanitarian philanthropy. This is in line with the provident leadership of the President, His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and Shaikh Mohammed.”

• UAE