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Over 71 million people benefit from UAE foundation's 2019 initiatives

Discussing the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic during the board meeting, the UAE Vice-President reiterated: "Crises pass and serving humanity endures."

More than 71 million lives around the world were touched by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) in 2019, the foundation's annual report has revealed. A total of Dh1.3 billion was spent on humanitarian projects throughout the year.
In a virtual event, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, chaired an MBRGI meeting where the report was tackled and the impact of 2019 programmes was reviewed.
Around 125,000 volunteers from different pockets of the world joined hands with the MBRGI's 574 full-time employees to make massive humanitarian projects happen and change countless lives for the better.
"Improving lives brings us happiness and empowering anyone in need brings us honour. Creating hope is a successful investment that will reap outstanding results in our society and the world," Sheikh Mohammed said.
Discussing the repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic during the board meeting, the UAE Vice-President reiterated: "Crises pass and serving humanity endures."
He urged the MBRGI's teams to "continue advancing your humanitarian efforts to improve as many lives as possible".
The foundation's beneficiaries in 2019 were spread out in 108 countries, growing from 70 million beneficiaries in 86 countries in 2018.
More than 30 entities and initiatives under the MBRGI carry out hundreds of projects and programmes across five main pillars: humanitarian aid and relief; spreading education and knowledge; healthcare and disease control; innovation and entrepreneurship; and empowering communities.
Relief projects
In 2019, around Dh262 million went towards humanitarian programmes that benefitted more than 17 million people.
Nine million people in developing countries were provided access to clean water, through the projects of the UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia).
Some 2.6 million people also benefitted from the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment's (MBRCH) projects on empowering the youth.

Healthcare
For healthcare initiatives, spending totalled more than Dh118 million, benefitting around 7.5 million people worldwide.
Al Jalila Foundation and Noor Dubai are the two main entities that led the MBRGI's healthcare and disease control efforts by providing therapeutic and preventative treatment and enhancing health sectors in disadvantaged societies.
In 2019, Noor Dubai provided trachoma treatment to more than six million patients, while 20,486 patients received medical services and critical surgeries through mobile eye camps in Asia and Africa. In the UAE, mobile eye clinics conducted eye examinations for 9,200 people in 2019.
Al Jalila Foundation, on the other hand, provided 1.4 million maternal and neonatal tetanus vaccines in several African countries and invested Dh4.9 million to support 38 research studies on obesity, diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and mental health.
The foundation also provided Dh1.4 million worth of medical scholarships to postgraduate and graduate students in 2019.
For the first time, the MBRGI adopted a humanitarian cause as part of the third edition of its Arab Hope Makers initiative. It raised Dh88 million through a grand variety show to support the construction of the Magdi Yacoub Global Heart Centre in Egypt that, once complete, will provide free-of-charge high-quality cardiac care to disadvantaged communities from all over the Arab region.
Education
Spending on the MBRGI's education and knowledge programmes reached Dh335 million in the same year, extending help to some 45 million people all over the world.
The large-scale initiatives and programmes aimed at spreading education and knowledge strive to achieve the MBRGI's long-term vision of providing high-quality education to millions of children and youth around the globe.
Among the initiatives covered under this pillar are Dubai Cares' projects that empowered over 20 million people through the classrooms and schools it built; the Arab Reading Challenge that attracted 21 million students ; and the Madrasa e-learning platform that garnered 65 million views so far.
The Digital Knowledge Hub that provided free access to more than 2.6 million educational publications and the Dh1-billion Mohammed Bin Rashid library were part of the foundation's 2019 achievements.
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The MBRGI's total expenditure on various innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives amounted to Dh386 million, benefitting 744,000 people throughout 2019.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Establishment for SME Development (Dubai SME) supported 3,871 Emirati entrepreneurs and benefitted 1,470 national start-ups with a Dh169-million incentive package.
The Dubai Entrepreneurship Academy also provided training and diplomas to 6,862 individuals, while the 'Mohammed bin Rashid Fund for SME' funded 75 new projects.
Empowering Communities
The foundation's total expenditure on initiatives and programmes dedicated to empowering communities reached Dh181 million, benefitting 510,000 people across the world in 2019.
The third edition of Arab Hope Makers, the largest initiative of its kind to honour philanthropic efforts, attracted over 92,000 participants from 38 countries. Five finalists received Dh5 million (Dh1 million each) to support their humanitarian endeavours.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com