Volunteerism, both on a personal and corporate level, is strong in the UAE – and never more so than during Ramadan, as we have seen over the course of the past month. Inspired by the values of solidarity and generosity that the holy month embodies, it is the ideal time for colleagues to come together in support of a common cause, or common causes that benefit the community.
There is more to corporate volunteerism, however, than contributing to making the society we live in a better place; it nurtures connectivity, encourages bonding between colleagues, and builds a strong sense of esprit de corps across the wider community. Corporate giving during the holy month should serve as a benchmark, as the morality of Ramadan can be used to inspire corporate volunteering, stronger corporate culture and community bonding throughout the year.
Our leadership leads by example, with their generosity setting the precedent for what can be done to help those around us. The altruistic nature of the UAE’s founding father, the late Sheikh Zayed, the late President of the UAE, is an attitude that has been adopted by generations of Emiratis and the expatriates who call our country home – and this is a very positive sign for the continuation of the benevolent spirit of the UAE.
What is especially encouraging is the prevalence of volunteerism among the younger members of our society. In a survey conducted by the Ministry of Social Affairs in Dubai and Ras Al Khaimah, 50 per cent of volunteers were aged 20-29, and 90 per cent of all volunteers surveyed considered voluntary work to be very important.
This is good news for our society, and good news for corporations, too, given the number of eager young Emiratis who are entering the workforce. They are keen to follow in the footsteps of the nation’s leaders, by doing good for their community – and a corporate volunteerism programme is the ideal option for companies to channel this enthusiasm.
Corporate volunteering is beneficial on multiple levels; it creates solid bonds between co-workers, supports worthwhile societal causes, enhances the corporation’s image and develops a community-wide affinity for the brand. And, as an additional benefit, it establishes a company as a more desirable place to work. According to a survey by Bayt.com, 76.8 per cent of people from around the region want to work for a company that is socially responsible. As a further incentive for corporate volunteerism, the same survey states that 88 per cent of consumers favour products and services from a socially responsible company.
In terms of the benefits a company enjoys from corporate volunteerism, I believe there are three key aspects. The first of these is improved employee engagement, which is good for company morale and motivates employees to contribute more by being more productive.
The second is enhanced attractiveness as an employee, especially among the younger generation. Emirati youth are very switched on when it comes to doing their part to help their brothers and sisters in the community, and they want to work for companies that will allow them to contribute.
Last, but by no means least, there is the increased visibility of the company brand, and the association of the brand with good deeds – something that is especially important at a time when sustainability is at the forefront of public awareness. We all want to do things that will support and benefit the world we live in, and as society becomes more conscious of the need for sustainability, we are more likely to choose the products and services that will allow us to passively give back by supporting a company that contributes to society.
From where I stand, there are no negatives to developing a culture of corporate volunteerism. There is no time like the present to embark upon a volunteerism project, given the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan. Everyone has something to give; charitable acts can be in the form of giving time, giving money, providing help for the needy, or simply performing good deeds … something that we are all capable of doing in some capacity, every day.
Hala Badri is the executive vice president, brand and communications, at du
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
MATCH INFO
Championship play-offs, second legs:
Aston Villa 0
Middlesbrough 0
(Aston Villa advance 1-0 on aggregate)
Fulham 2
Sessegnon (47'), Odoi (66')
Derby County 0
(Fulham advance 2-1 on aggregate)
Final
Saturday, May 26, Wembley. Kick off 8pm (UAE)
The Energy Research Centre
Founded 50 years ago as a nuclear research institute, scientists at the centre believed nuclear would be the “solution for everything”.
Although they still do, they discovered in 1955 that the Netherlands had a lot of natural gas. “We still had the idea that, by 2000, it would all be nuclear,” said Harm Jeeninga, director of business and programme development at the centre.
"In the 1990s, we found out about global warming so we focused on energy savings and tackling the greenhouse gas effect.”
The energy centre’s research focuses on biomass, energy efficiency, the environment, wind and solar, as well as energy engineering and socio-economic research.
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The story in numbers
18
This is how many recognised sects Lebanon is home to, along with about four million citizens
450,000
More than this many Palestinian refugees are registered with UNRWA in Lebanon, with about 45 per cent of them living in the country’s 12 refugee camps
1.5 million
There are just under 1 million Syrian refugees registered with the UN, although the government puts the figure upwards of 1.5m
73
The percentage of stateless people in Lebanon, who are not of Palestinian origin, born to a Lebanese mother, according to a 2012-2013 study by human rights organisation Frontiers Ruwad Association
18,000
The number of marriages recorded between Lebanese women and foreigners between the years 1995 and 2008, according to a 2009 study backed by the UN Development Programme
77,400
The number of people believed to be affected by the current nationality law, according to the 2009 UN study
4,926
This is how many Lebanese-Palestinian households there were in Lebanon in 2016, according to a census by the Lebanese-Palestinian dialogue committee