UAE: Emirati’s inspiring journey from a shy boy to volunteer leader

As a shy teenager, Hasan Al Ali was sitting alone in his room when his sister dropped in, urging him to join her in a volunteering initiative. A hesitant but curious Ali obliged. Making a life-changing decision, he took his first step towards volunteering, and there has been no stopping since then.

Today, 32-year-old Ali is the project lead of the Emirates Foundation’s Takatof programme. In his role, he develops projects, which promote the culture of volunteering as a way of life.

“As a child, I was shy to talk to anyone. I would mostly remain confined to myself. Even if someone talks to me, I wouldn’t like to engage in a conversation,” Ali told Khaleej Times in an exclusive interview.

He lights up while recollecting the day when his sister took him to a volunteering initiative.

“My sister was already volunteering. One day, she asked me to join her in a volunteering opportunity. I was 16 or 17 years old then. I wasn’t aware of the importance of volunteering. But my sister gave me the confidence to participate. And I went. The event was a triathlon challenge. I was a marshal for that event and was placed in a different spot than my sister.”

Suddenly, Ali, then an introvert, found himself in a situation where he had to constantly communicate and coordinate with unknown people and be responsible and accountable for his actions.

“Till that day, I thought of myself as a person without any skills. But volunteering at that event helped me explore my innate abilities. I started learning new things, building new relationships and making new friends. And this is what has made me a volunteer for life.”

By the time Ali was in college, he didn’t let go of any opportunities to be a volunteer.

“My mother used to say that volunteering was my second home. She always used to wonder why I was so engaged in volunteering. What she didn’t realise is how being a volunteer improved my skills.”

Benefits of volunteering include developing interpersonal communication, leadership qualities, problem-solving abilities, time management, relationship building, teamwork, organisation and planning, among others.

“This is my life now. I love it. I don’t mind maybe working 18 hours a day. If you’re doing something that you love, then you will not care about anything else. Maybe all the volunteers they know that.”

Today his phone rings non-stop with calls from volunteers, and there is a flurry of messages asking for opportunities to serve the community.

“They keep reminding me not to forget them for any upcoming opportunities. But I tell them to keep checking the official website for new initiatives.”

600,000 volunteers and counting

Ali noted that volunteering means working for a noble cause and serving society.

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