Ramadan 2016: Dh10m raised in a day by Reading Nation

Dubai - 500 UAE schools, corporates take part in Reading Nation Ramadan charity drive

Corporate crowd funding in Dubai has rarely seen such a rapid response.

A day after His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, made an appeal to raise funds for 'nurturing mind and soul' of millions of underprivileged children living in different parts of the world, Corporate Dubai made a collective contribution of Dh10 million.

That's the maximum amount Shaikh Mohammed has set for his innovative charity drive - Reading Nation - which is aimed at educating children living in refugee camps and other difficult environments.

While launching the Reading Nation Ramadan campaign on Sunday, Shaikh Mohammed offered three corporate donation bundles, with a maximum of Dh10 million.

The Dh10 million collected from businessmen, local entities and organisations on Monday included Dh3 million each from etisalat and du; Dh1 million each from Kanoo Group and Al Ansari Exchange; Dh300,000 from the heirs of Obaid Mohammed Al Helou; and Dh1.9 million through SMS messaging.

The campaign aims to provide five million books for children in refugee camps and underprivileged students across the world.

The book donation charity campaign is a continuation of the UAE's annual humanitarian agenda and will continue until the 19th day of Ramadan that coincides with the Zayed Humanitarian Day.

The campaign also triggered a quick response from schools in the UAE, which will host an open week of activities to donate books in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Dubai Cares.

During this week, students will be encouraged to donate used books to support the efforts of the campaign in providing knowledge to refugees and to establish more than 2,000 schools libraries around the world.

Dubai Cares will provide more than 500 schools across the UAE with boxes to collect the donated books. Students will also be given stickers to write dedications to their counterparts who will be beneficiaries of the campaign.

Courier firm Aramex has been assigned to collect the boxes and deliver them to the International Humanitarian City.

Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, minister of education, said the Reading Nation campaign will reinforce a culture of giving among students and their actions will send out an emphatic message to their peers in areas that face shortage of resources due to bleak circumstances.

A follow up team has been assigned to coordinate with all educational zones and with Dubai Cares to ensure that all requirements are put in place for a successful campaign.

Al Hammadi said the Reading Nation campaign is a new and huge step that has added to the UAE's stellar record in the field of humanitarian work across the world.