Over 70m people across the world benefit from VP's foundation in 2018

Dubai - The UAE is a global capital of tolerance and coexistence that will continue lending a helping hand to everyone in need.

More than 70 million people have benefitted from Dh1.5 billion worth of projects that were carried out by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) across 86 countries in 2018. 
Results of the 'MBRGI Year in Review 2018' were announced by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. And the report was launched during an Iftar gathering at the Dubai Opera on Tuesday.
It was revealed that 33 entities and initiatives under the MBRGI collectively spent Dh1.5 billion across five main pillars of humanitarian aid and relief, spreading education and knowledge, healthcare and disease control, innovation and entrepreneurship, and empowering communities.
Sheikh Mohammed said: "With the leadership of my brother, the President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE carries on Sheikh Zayed's legacy of giving. We believe that the more we give for humanity, the more His Almighty blesses our country with prosperity and peace.
"The UAE is a global capital of tolerance and coexistence that will continue lending a helping hand to everyone in need, regardless of ethnicity, race, colour or religion."
Sheikh Mohammed said the foundation's humanitarian, social and developmental initiatives "reflect our vision to reignite Arab civilisation".
"We seek to create new hope for our region, improve people's lives and share the UAE's message of giving with the world. Our goal is creating hope and building a better future for people, wherever they may be, through meeting the fundamental needs of societies," he added.
He also thanked his team at the MBRGI for "devoting themselves to serving humanity".
"As with our goal in all sectors of life, we strive to be number one in the humanitarian field. In this context, we launched the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives to coordinate and integrate the humanitarian, developmental and social initiatives we have overseen for the last 20 years, and maximise impact, raise aspirations, and unify efforts and visions.
"The data and figures revealed today confirm that we are heading in the right direction," Sheikh Mohammed said.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, and Vice-Chairman of the MBRGI Board of Trustees, also expressed his pride in the accomplishments of the foundation.
He said: "Thanks to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's foresight, the foundation's achievements in 2018 demonstrate that investing in creating hope and improving the lives of others is the ideal decision to ensure a better tomorrow. One of the noblest jobs of all is one that strives to make a positive change in the world."
Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, secretary-general of the MBRGI, said it is the philosophy of Sheikh Mohammed that drives the foundation forward.
Al Gergawi said: "The MBRGI's initiatives, projects and programmes invest in the vital sectors that form the core of human development, primarily focusing on improving the educational and healthcare systems in less fortunate societies of the region and the world, besides dedicated efforts to knowledge, cultural and technology empowerment. This comprehensive framework adds a sustainable dimension, with an impact measurable by development indicators."
Five pillars of MBRGI's charity work
1-Humanitarian Aid and Relief
Projects and initiatives that combat poverty; help communities affected by natural disasters and conflicts; empower vulnerable and marginalised communities; and improve the quality of life in disadvantaged communities
Dh271m: Amount spent in 2018
Key Projects
>A total of 216 water projects, including wells, water purification plants and water networks were completed by the UAE Water Aid (Suqia)
>The International Humanitarian City (IHC) recorded 2,000 tonnes of aid dispatched to 619,000 beneficiaries across the world
>IHC continued supporting Rohingya Muslims in refugee camps in Bangladesh, operating relief flights that benefitted more than 344,000 people in Dhaka and Chittagong
>Humanitarian efforts in Papua New Guinea provided emergency aid to 60,690 earthquake victims. Medical and logistical supplies were also airlifted to Angola to help combat malaria and yellow fever, among other epidemics
>The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment's programmes benefitted three million people
>The UAE Food Bank distributed 74,000 meals to low-income families and workers.
>The 'Your Suhoor is Our Responsibility' programme, executed in cooperation with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), distributed 49,700 Iftar meals and 23,500 Suhoor meals
2- Spreading Educationand Knowledge
Projects that seek to create innovative and high-quality school environments, as the MBRGI aims to break the cycle of poverty and overcome economic and social constraints, reflecting the foundation's overarching mission to support long-term stability
Dh628m: Amount spent in 2018
Key Projects
>Dubai Cares programmes supported 22.6 million people in 39 countries, while the Arab Reading Challenge for 2018/2019 round drew 13.5 million participating students across the Arab world.
>Dubai Cares also launched 24 international programmes that comprised constructing and renovating 2,029 classrooms and schools, training 118,873 teachers, building 6,055 school bathrooms, and providing meals for 484,490 students. It also helped provide intestinal worms prevention to around 16 million children in India and Vietnam
>The Madrasa e-learning platform benefitted 1.1 million students within the first three months of its launch, through its 5,000 free Arabised science and math videos,
>The MBRGI has awarded 115 scholarships, fellowships and seed grants
>The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation launched the first 'Arab Innovation Forum'
3-Healthcare and Disease Control
Sustainable projects that combat major diseases, support awareness campaigns, fund medical research, and empower medical staff, primarily in areas that face poverty and limited healthcare resources
Dh313m:Amount spent in 2018
Key Projects
>Al Jalila Foundation, Noor Dubai, and the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment dedicated their specialised programmes to fight common diseases, such as tetanus and trachoma, and conduct critical surgeries to cure eye diseases, heart defects and limb deformities in children, in addition to awareness campaigns.
> Some 11.7 million patients received trachoma medications in Amhara region of Ethiopia where 32,474 eye surgeries were performed
> Over 1.4 million tetanus vaccines were provided in 20 countries to save mothers and their newborn babies
> Noor Dubai's mobile eye clinics examined 12,181 patients, conducted 1,146 critical surgeries, and distributed 7,923 eyeglasses
4- Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Programmes that empower entrepreneurs, help establish national companies, promote innovation, and support the growth of innovators
Dh131m: Amount spent in 2018
640k: Number of beneficiaries worldwide
Key Projects
>The Mohammed bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development (Dubai SME) helped establish 1,175 national companies with AED14 million of investments, supporting 4,227 Emirati entrepreneurs in 2018
>A total of 47 won innovation and entrepreneurship awards
> Some 517,000 applied for the One Million Arab Coders initiative, launched to teach young Arabs the language of the future
>More than 22,000 computer science graduates have completed the programme with the support of over 3,600 experts and tutors, collectively working over 1.5 million training hours
> The Museum of the Future, an iconic architectural landmark, reached its final stages of completion. Once it opens in 2020, it will serve as a global hub for exploring the future of science and technology
5- Empowering Communities
Initiatives that support the development of communities, promote cultural exchange and understanding, and recognise those who go the extra mile to serve others
Dh126m: Amount spent in 2018
Key Projects
>Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government's diverse programmes benefitted 1,816 people
>Arab Journalism Award drew 2,932 applications in 2018
>The Sheikh Mohammed Center for Cultural Understanding's initiatives and activities benefitted about 88,000 visitors, tourists and residents
>A total of 876 graduated from all educational and training programmes
>The Arab Hope Makers initiative, the largest of its kind in the Arab world, was launched in 2017 to recognise heroes of humanity
>The first five Arab Hope Makers were awarded Dh1 million each to enable them to continue funding their projects and humanitarian endeavours, with total prize money for two rounds of the initiative amounting to Dh10 million
sarwat@khaleejtimes.com