AL MAFRAQ, JORDAN // Hannan Al Darwish smiles with joy as she cradles her newborn daughter. Saturday was one of the happier days since she fled the violence of Homs.
Her daughter will be brought up in a far safer place and, while almost everything in her life is uncertain, she will hold her close and love her dearly.
The 28-year-old names the girl Shamma, after Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, founder of Beacon of Hope UAE, which is bringing solar-powered light to refugee camps in Jordan and was touring the UAE-funded hospital on Saturday.
Sheikha Shamma kissed Hannan and her daughter and wished them well, creating a lasting impression that will not be forgotten quickly.
Shortly afterwards, the unmistakable first cries of another newborn child are heard in the halls of the UAE Red Crescent Hospital, which provides medical treatment to Syrian refugees in Amman.
This time it’s a boy and he is named Zayed, after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Khalifa, Sheikha Shamma’s brother.
Sheikha Shamma was on a tour of the hospital in the Al Mafraq area, 20 kilometres from the Syrian border.
She and her team were looking at ways to improve the lives of the more than 250,000 patients that have been treated in the hospital.
Beacon of Hope is handing our solar lights in camps that are accustomed to power cuts, but it is also promoting education and new medical technology.
The technology it is rolling out is aimed at helping doctors identify medical problems in newborns.
In particular, it looks to tell the difference between problematic heart murmurs and benign ones.
Benign heart murmurs occur in more than half of the children born around the world and disappear over time, but misdiagnosing costs hospitals millions.
Using a digital stethoscope connected to a smartphone, the technology is able to use algorithms to discover whether a murmur is benign.
Shamma and Zayed will benefit from the checks, which is still in the testing phase but is being used on patients.
“We checked out two newborn babies with the technology, Shamma and Zayed,” said Sarah Bawazir, an advisory board member for Beacon of Hope.
“The technology can be hugely effective in areas without specialised doctors, as it can reliably determine if a murmur is dangerous.”
The device is helpful for advanced hospitals, as often a general practitioner will find difficulty determine the type of murmur, she said.
“Right now it’s in research phase, but once it passes we are looking to take it around the world with us and donate it to hospitals.”
The Red Crescent hospital is on the front line of the refugee crisis, treating families who had fled their homes with little more than the clothes on their backs.
It ensures that they receive the best health care despite the challenges of operating close to the border.
With an emergency wing, it is often the closest hospital for wounded Syrians.
The Beacon of Hope team has spent the last three days in Jordan visiting refugee camps around the country and donating thousands of solar lights and books for refugees in an attempt to promote education.
“Even if we prepare for this advance and we think we know what we’re going to see, it’s still heartbreaking,” said Mohammed Al Ghailani, another advisory board member who spoke of the sheer challenge that is the refugee crisis. “Seeing the extent, and even given all the great work the UAE has done in helping refugees, we want to add to that.”
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About Beacon of HopeUAE
Beacon of Hope UAE, a non-profit organisation, was founded by Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bint Khalifa Al Nahyan and aims to provide children in war-torn and poverty-stricken countries with lights and literacy.
Sheikha Shamma, along with co-chairwoman Larisa Miller and her team, travel around the world and provide a basic engineering lesson in how to build a simple solar powered light.
The solar light project by Beacon of Hope UAE was part of its mission towards “light, literacy and life”.
Included in the solar-light assembly box, is circuitry for the solar panel to be connected to rechargeable batteries that allows the recipients light for hours.
The project aims to improve the health of youth living in camps by providing an alternative to kerosene lamps, which can cause lung issues and even death in some cases.
The organisation also distributes books to the children straight from Sheikha Shamma’s group and Dubai Cares.
It is also working on developing medical technology that will help doctors diagnose infant illness through the use of simple and cheap digital technology.
A stethoscope attached to a smartphone app will allow medical practitioners to identify malignant heart murmurs, while face-detection technology can help them identify genetic disorders.
The project was founded in 2016 and is active in Jordan, Liberia, Morocco, and other countries around the Middle East and North Africa.
It profit is looking to launch in Iraq and Egypt in the coming months.
Their collaborators include Akon Lighting Africa, run by the American rapper of Akon, UAE Red Crescent, and various UAE governmental and non-governmental organisations.
nalwasmi@thenational.ae
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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.”
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO:
Second Test
Pakistan v Australia, Tuesday-Saturday, 10am daily at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Entrance is free
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 374hp at 5,500-6,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm from 1,900-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.5L/100km
Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
Race card:
6.30pm: Baniyas (PA) Group 2 Dh195,000 1,400m.
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh190,000 1,200m.
8.15pm: Maiden (TB) Dh165,000 1,200m.
8.50pm: Rated Conditions (TB) Dh240,000 1,600m.
9.20pm: Handicap (TB) Dh165,000 1,400m.
10pm: Handicap (TB) Dh175,000 2,000m.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Remaining fixtures
- August 29 – UAE v Saudi Arabia, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
- September 5 – Iraq v UAE, Amman, Jordan (venue TBC)
