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Drive against thalassaemia raises Dh2m

Guests were invited to the ceremony to congratulate those who raised the most money and also to thank all the organisers and sponsors.

Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority, attended the closing event accompanied by heads of government departments.

The Big Breakfast campaign was a huge success all over the UAE and saw schools, families, universities, corporations and others not only organising their own Big Breakfasts to raise funds and awareness for thalassaemia, but also to get together and have a good time.

Ahmad Sharaf, Senior Vice-President for Energy and Healthcare, Tatweer, said: "As an integral part of our organisation's strategy, it is inevitable that we be responsible towards the community and society. With thalassaemia being a very critical concern in the UAE, it is imperative that we contribute to supporting the health-related needs and demands of children with thalassaemia."

Dubai Healthcare City arranged a Big Breakfast for all employees which was also open to the public. At the award's night guests were delighted to learn that Dubai Healthcare City would match the total funds raised for the entire event to bring the amount to Dh2 million.

The project team comprises Dr Haidar Al Yousuf, Specialist Family Physician, DOHMS; Hala Badri, Corporate Communications Director at du; Khalid Al Zahed, Head of Coastal Management Section, Dubai Municipality; Maryam Kalban, Principal Executive, The Executive Office; and Mohammed Al Qassim, Manager, Corporate Banking, National Bank of Dubai.

One winner, eight-year-old Saeed Al Hathboor from Al Ittihad Private School, wanted to help thalassaemia children and arranged a Big Breakfast for his classmates at his school. He also showed them a video about thalassaemia so they could learn more about the disease.

"Ever since Saeed visited the Thalassaemia Centre at Al Wasl Hospital, he has been wondering how he could help these children. When he found out about the Big Breakfast, he was really excited to get on board to help," said Saeed's mother.

The Big Breakfast organising team made three special announcements at the closing ceremony to say that the Big Breakfast will become an annual fund raising event that will look at different aspects of charity. They also said that they will be writing children's books about thalassaemia to help raise further awareness among youth. And finally, the team will be opening a restaurant under the "Big Breakfast" name that will continuously donate a percentage of its proceeds to charity.

Individuals and organisations were awarded on the occasion under various categories, including most raised by an individual, the girl's school award for raising the most funds, the boy's school section, colleges and universities category, the clubs and associations category, home business sub-category, most funds raised in the government sector, biggest number of attendees most creative set-up, and best awareness campaign.

• UAE