Dubai’s Sheikh Mohammed donates AED250m to Ramadan charity campaign

Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed takes total donations to 1 Billion Meals campaign beyond AED1bn

ADubai Ramadan charity campaign has raised more than AED1bn following a massive donation.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, has announced his personal contribution of real estate assets and monetary contributions worth AED250m to the 1 Billion Meals Endowment campaign.

Sheikh Mohammed said generosity and the UAE are two sides of the same coin, and that the 1 Billion Meals Endowment campaign will continue to welcome donations throughout the year.

Sheikh Mohammed contributes to Dubai Ramadan campaign

Sheikh Mohammed’s offering pushed total contributions to the campaign to AED1.075bn, AED825mn of which donated by over 180,000 contributors.

Sheikh Mohammed said: “Ramadan is a special time in the UAE thanks to the acts of kindness it encourages, to the people of this nation and to the noble values instilled in us by the late Sheikh Zayed.

“The UAE stands strong because of its charity efforts, and because of the prayers of millions of people who benefit from them.

“Endowments is a great tradition that we aim to continue, to ensure the sustainability of giving and generosity. The endowment will always be open to contributions as we encourage more people to be part of this food aid initiative.

“We give our thanks to everyone who contributed to the largest ongoing charity in the UAE”.

The “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign has seen a remarkable community-wide response to donating and helping provide a food safety net for underprivileged communities around the world.

The endowment fund will continue to welcome contributions throughout the year.

The campaign received donations in the form of land, corporate shares and monetary contributions from businesses and individuals, as well as daily subscriptions to donate by thousands of community members.

Launched by Sheikh Mohammed in what has become an annual Ramadan tradition, the 1 Billion Meals Endowment campaign, under the umbrella of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, has raised a total of AED1.075bn in record time amid community-wide support.

More than 180,000 donators supported the aim of establishing the largest Ramadan food aid endowment fund through the campaign’s website, a dedicated call centre, bank transfers, SMS for du and etisalat by e& users, and the DubaiNow app.

Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Secretary-General of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, said: “The success of 1 Billion Meals Endowment campaign, which launched the largest Ramadan food aid endowment fund is proof that the UAE, under the leadership of its President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the directives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, will continue to firmly established its leading role regionally and internationally as an active hub for highly-effective humanitarian work”.

The Most Noble Number charity auctions for special numbers held in Dubai and Abu Dhabi contributed to the campaign as well.

The Most Noble Number charity auction in Dubai raised a total of AED98m, with AED 91.6m raised for special vehicle plate numbers, AED3.3m for Diamond+ mobile numbers provided by etisalat by e&, and AED3m raised for du special mobile numbers.

The 2nd edition of the Most Noble Number online charity auction organised by the Abu Dhabi Police raised AED71m for a total of 555 plate numbers.