Abu Dhabi's Ma'an receives Dh480 million in donations to support social initiatives

UAE philanthropists and organisations have over the past three years donated more than Dh480 million to initiatives that support the Abu Dhabi community.

On Tuesday, the Ma’an Social Investment Fund said the donations collected directly benefited 695,000 people through 49 social initiatives and programmes.

By the end of the first half of this year, the authority allocated a total of Dh168.9 million for various social priorities. This represented 35.1 per cent of the total financial contributions received since it was established in 2019.

The money was used to help people by offering support in a number of areas, including education, health, family cohesion, social support and issues resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Salama Al Ameemi, director general of Ma’an, lauded the efforts from the public sector, private sector and community to tackle the most pressing social challenges identified in the emirate.

“In the UAE, we have learnt from our wise leadership that collaboration driven by creativity and innovation is the best tool to ensure the prosperity of the current and future generations,” she said.

“At Ma’an, our role is to inspire the collective efforts of various sectors to achieve the desired social impact based on the approved social priorities.”

Of the Dh168.9 million assistance given to beneficiaries so far this year, Dh66.3 million was allocated to the education sector and Dh47.9 million towards healthcare needs. In addition, Dh54.6 million was used to support community projects.

“Ma’an is committed to providing appropriate support for all our partners to realise the Abu Dhabi government’s visions and strategic direction to ensure comprehensive social care for all segments of UAE’s society,” Ms Al Ameemi said.

Samar Al Mansouri, executive director of the Support Services Sector at the Department of Education and Knowledge in Abu Dhabi, praised its partnership model with Ma’an.

“Education is one of the most crucial pillars for the growth and development across all communities, and that is why we are keen to co-operate with various authorities,” she said.

“In Abu Dhabi, to ensure that all pupils from different segments of the community have access to quality education opportunities, and in view of the exceptional challenges faced by various sectors during the past few years, we have succeeded in delivering societal financial contributions to the affected groups, while ensuring the continuity of pupils’ education during challenging periods.

"We will continue to work closely with the authority to identify areas of co-operation that can help to ensure the achievement of the strategic goals of both entities."

Financial contributions can be made through the Ma'an website through direct deposits in its bank accounts, bank transfers, or by contacting the authority’s social investment fund team.

Ma’an was founded in 2019 by the Department of Community Development Abu Dhabi to promote and build a culture of social contribution and participation to address social priorities in the capital.