For more than a decade, the UAE has been known to harbour a progressive, practical and compassionate view towards fostering children in need of a nurturing home. That entails the social infrastructure of the country being in place. Abu Dhabi's Family Care Authority, for example, has a foster family service to support such child welfare services to alternative Emirati families.
Back in early 2013, there was a programme in the country where different Emirati families fostered 59 children. That year, Dubai's Community Development Authority also ran a foster care programme called Embrace through which orphaned children were placed in the care of families who met the criterion: of being Muslim, Emirati, living in the UAE, and where both parents were above the age of 25. Single mothers could apply, too, provided they were older than 30.
But even after several years of such projects, perhaps not enough is commonly known about fostering. It is thus a positive development that more Emiratis are openly talking about the concept, spreading awareness and encouraging others to follow suit. As Aysha Albusmait, foster mum of two girls, told The National last week: "It's important that more foster parents come forward to share their stories." Ms Albusmait is one of those enabling social change, by having established a community support group for foster parents across the Arab world.
Certainly, it is not a universal calling to embark on such a journey. To provide a safe, stable and loving home to a child or children who are not biologically one's own is not to everyone's ability or inclination. Even as foster mums and dads are often rewarded by the often joyous and fulfilling experience, prospective parents ought never to take the decision lightly or in haste, nor without serious considerations of the changes it brings to one's life – as well as to the life of a child.
Many of those changes, however, can be extraordinary. At a ceremony in Abu Dhabi six months ago, President Sheikh Mohamed honoured a group of foster mothers at Qasr Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi and spoke of his gratitude to them for providing a nurturing environment for young children. He said that offering foster care demonstrates a strong sense of social responsibility, and “upholds the values of generosity, compassion and social solidarity that define Emirati society”.
Emirati couples are thus encouraged to foster abandoned children by being their guardians. Adoption, which entails taking the name and lineage of a family is not permitted in Islam but unlike adoption, fostering is a transparent, kind and revocable arrangement and can be deeply meaningful to parents and the children fostered.
As it happens, not every person who may want to foster will be eligible to – and it is often just as well, for there could be several reasons for this. Be it applicants failing to clear psychiatric and emotional evaluations, or not meeting suitability criteria like cultural suitability, health and infectious disease, as well as income – these criteria are in place ultimately to protect minors from harm.
There are, however, other avenues for people to help and lend crucial support to some of the most unfortunate in ongoing conflicts around the world – as in Gaza, for instance. After a year of the Israel-Hamas war, Unicef estimates that by October 2024 at least 18,000 children were orphaned. That number would have climbed only higher since the collapse of the ceasefire.
Sharjah's Big Heart Foundation has thus taken steps to alleviate some of the suffering by launching a programme called "For Gaza" that would help provide long-term support for 20,000 orphans in the enclave, through a structured sponsorship model. This is just one of the many ways in the UAE for anyone who wants to help children to do so.
As the country grows more prosperous, and as society evolves to accommodate changing global realities, those UAE citizens and residents who want to foster children or support them, should be aware of what's within their reach, and the steps they can take to improve the lives of countless children, and in doing so, begin to transform their own.
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The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The bio
Studied up to grade 12 in Vatanappally, a village in India’s southern Thrissur district
Was a middle distance state athletics champion in school
Enjoys driving to Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah with family
His dream is to continue working as a social worker and help people
Has seven diaries in which he has jotted down notes about his work and money he earned
Keeps the diaries in his car to remember his journey in the Emirates
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