The First Place winner of The Young Philanthropist Award, Noor Kefah Alkharaz, Sara Kefah Alkharaz, Juwan Abu Zaid, Fatma Ahmed Alghareeb and Alia Ibrahim Alhamli of Al Jurf Secondary School receiving the award from Abdullah Ahmed Al Shehhi, Director of Business Support, Dubai Cares and Amal Al Redha, Director of Fund Raising Department, Dubai Cares during the Distinguished Philanthropic Awards in Schools Ceremony at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel in Dubai on Thursday, May 04, 2017.
Dubai - "We were able to imbibe in our students the true meaning of giving and helping others," the school's principal said
Published: Thu 4 May 2017, 5:04 PM
Updated: Thu 4 May 2017, 7:17 PM
A group of female students who handed out cards with verses from the Holy Quran to raise funds for charity and a school which held cake sale that generated around Dh220,000 were the top winners in 'Dubai Cares Distinguished Philanthropic Award in Schools' held on Thursday.
Dubai Cares, which is part of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, also handed out special certificates at a ceremony held at Jumeirah Creekside Hotel to more than 80 UAE-based schools that participated in raising funds to help children and young people in developing countries gain access to education.
The Philanthropic School Award, which was awarded to the school that has raised the biggest amount of funds, went to Dubai National School (DNS) while the Young Philanthropists Award went to Noor Kefah Alkharaz, Sara Kefah Alkharaz, Juwan Abu Zaid, Fatma Ahmed Alghareeb and Alia Ibrahim Alhamli - all students of Al Jurf Secondary School - "for their creative and original fundraising concept."
Speaking to Khaleej Times, DNS school principal Suad Abu Harb said: "The entire school community was very enthusiastic in participating in the fund raising project. Our student council was very active - we had cake sales, we also sold Emirati food and refreshment during activity hours. But more than the money we raised (Dh220,000), we were able to imbibe in our students the true meaning of giving and helping others."
"We reminded our students that being in Dubai is a blessing and helping others is a responsibility that we should all carry," Abu Harb added.
DNS student council president Meera Al Falasi added they also had fun while doing charity and they were also able to promote Emirati food to other students.
The group of Noor Kefah Alkharaz from Al Jurf Secondary School may not have been able to raise equal big amount of money but their creativity of combining charity with learning the Holy Quran paid off.
"We handed out cards with verses from the Holy Quran to students and each card has a corresponding amount of money for charity. It's a two-in-one effort of promoting Islam and doing our part for philanthropy," Alkharaz said.
GEMS Modern Academy and the Kindergarten Starters came in second and third places respectively in the Philanthropic School Award category while students of GEMS Royal Dubai School and Primus Private School notched the second and third positions in the Young Philanthropists Award category.
Dubai Cares launched the Dubai Cares Distinguished Philanthropic Award in Schools in 2015 to encourage students from public and private schools "to devise and put into action innovative and effective fundraising concepts that support the provision of quality education to children in developing countries."
Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares said: "Through this Award, we have witnessed our nation's energetic, compassionate, and forward-thinking students - with the support of their schools - embody their commitment to philanthropy which is at the core of the 'Year of Giving.'
"The UAE's 'Year of Giving' encourages all of us to look beyond our own lives, and our personal concerns and priorities, and dedicate ourselves to improving and transforming the lives of others through volunteerism, service, social responsibility, and global citizenship," he added.
Al Gurg also thanked the supporting partners - the UAE Ministry of Education and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority.
Meanwhile, Amal Al Redha, director of fundraising at Dubai Cares, told Khaleej Times that they are still in the process of tallying the total amount of money raised this year but the report will soon be shared with the schools.
She said: "We were very impressed by the creativity, clarity of thought and optimism of students. The fundraising concepts presented by students demonstrate awareness and compassion among the UAE's younger generation, whose creative talents and capacity for giving have been encouraged and empowered by their teachers, coordinators, and principals. They have brought this campaign to life, and the greatest tribute to their efforts is that they will now bring hope and open up new horizons for their peers in developing countries by providing them with an opportunity to go to school and learn."
- angel@khaleejtimes.com
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