Dubai launches volunteering initiative

The Dubai government is encouraging resident to volunteer through a new initiative.

‘Day for Dubai’, launched by Crown Prince His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, aims to imbue a spirit of volunteering among citizens and locals alike by encouraging them to share their time.

The crowd-sourcing platform encourages community members to dedicate one day a year for volunteer work and go beyond typical volunteering activities to give back to those in need, help improve and maintain the city and community and protect the environment.

Text messages have been sent to residents to encourage them to participate and an app is available for download on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

وقتنا أمانة، فلنستثمره في الخير. أطلقت اليوم مبادرة #يوم_لدبي لترسيخ مكانة دبي على الساحة العالمية كأكثر مدينة معطاءة. شاركوني في https://t.co/rNNOhWXe1f pic.twitter.com/mEigiJdvvY

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) December 6, 2017

“UAE residents are characterised by goodwill and are constantly ready to offer a helping hand. The ‘Day for Dubai’ initiative is testament to residents’ loyalty and belonging to their community, and serves to show how humane and tenacious our society really is,” Sheikh Hamdan said.

Pictures posted on social media on Wednesday showed the Crown Prince helping in a marine clean-up drive near Skydive Dubai for International Volunteer Day.

The initiative comes at the end of the UAE ‘Year of Giving’ and aims to support Dubai in its goal of becoming the world’s most giving city.

Private and public sector organisations are being encouraged to join the city-wide volunteering movement, to develop and participate in volunteering activities, create meaningful partnerships and ensure residents are invited to be active participants, according to Dubai Media Office.

In September, officials confirmed the UAE had raised more than Dhs1.6bn ($435.6m) through CSR initiatives, private and public sector and individual donations as part of the national Year of giving strategy.

Read: UAE’s Year of Giving has raised $435m so far