History and Services

Founded in 2003, the Zayed Giving Initiative is a UAE-based philanthropy organization based on a model of humanitarian volunteer work in the spirit of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, founder of the United Arab Emirates. It aims to promote volunteerism and harness the potential of institutions and individuals for effective participation in community development in the areas of health, education, environment, and culture. In a short span of time, the Zayed Giving Initiative has succeeded in firmly positioning the UAE on the world map by extending humanitarian help and support to thousands of people affected by disasters, poverty, underdevelopment and epidemics in different parts of the world.

 

The abundant flow of charity emphasised the strategy of humanitarian aid, which is the cornerstone of the country’s foreign policy, and is guided by the directives of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and the Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, as well as a real reflection of the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

 

The Initiative accomplished many local and international achievements, based on the directions of H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of General Women’s Union (GWA), the Supreme Chairperson of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), Head of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, with the initiative and continued sponsorship of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region and Chairman of the UAE Red Crescent Authority (RCA).

The Zayed Giving Initiative contributed to the humanitarian causes by helping millions of patients through the projects of building mobile and field health centres, hospitals and community-based centres in various countries across the world. This initiative has attracted around 50,000 volunteers to convey the humanitarian message to 100 million Arabs and Africans in a volunteering framework. The Zayed Giving Initiative aims at empowering the youth and investing their powers and creativity in order to participate effectively in developing the community in the fields of health, education, environment, and culture, in addition to work under a volunteering framework and humanitarian umbrella.

 

 

Team

 

The Zayed Giving Initiative has a large pool of volunteers drawn from different professions and is led by the Emirati heart surgeon, Dr Adel Al Shamri, who is the Chief Executive of Zayed Giving Initiative.

 

 

Programmes

 

The Zayed Giving Initiative has launched several projects and programmes since its inception in 2003. It launched the world’s first mobile children’s hospital. The Zayed Giving Initiative seeks to supply free health care for one million youth around the globe through the United Arab Emirate World Humanitarian Field Hospital for Children. A number of Specialized wards for pediatrics, emergency, surgery and intensive care are part of the 120-bed hospital staffed by 50 doctors and other medical personnel. Based on the directives of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Giving Campaign was successful in treating thousands of people in Pakistan, Egypt, Sudan, Haiti, Bosnia and Lebanon. H.H. Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak donated AED 10 million for the campaign. The campaign aims to provide free medical care to one million children worldwide over the next three years.

 

When floods struck Pakistan in July 2010, the Zayed Giving Initiative was there first to help out the victims. A 110-bed mobile children’s hospital has been providing free medical care to the flood-affected children. The pediatric field hospital was set up for children under 18 affected by Pakistan’s recent floods and was the first mobile field unit to cater specifically to the needs of children in a disaster zone. The facility, established in partnership with the Pakistani ministry of health, is equipped with emergency and surgical units, a pharmacy, a specialist clinic and a general paediatric ward.

In Indonesia too, it made its impact that was felt among the residents in October 2010. A field hospital in Indonesia established by the medical group aims to provide care for thousands of people affected by Mount Merapi. The country’s most active volcano erupted on October 26, killing more than 250 people and leaving 400,000 displaced. Dr. Adel Al Shamri and his team arrived in the central Java-region, close to Mount Merapi, and set up the UAE International Humanitarian Field Children’s Hospital which aims to reach out to 6000 people in the camps set up for those displaced by the volcano. The field hospital has an emergency unit, a clinic, pharmacy, and mobile units - two doctors and two nurses who travel to more remote areas to reach people in need of medical care. The medical facility in Indonesia was supported by a fund established as part of the Zayed Giving Initiative’s “One Million Giving”campaign, which generated more than AED15 million from the government, private and NGO donors.

 

 

Performance

 

The Giving Campaign will deliver mobile hospitals to India, Indonesia, Eritrea and Lebanon. This stage will be implemented with the cooperation of the formal channels, governmental, private and international health institutions. The mobile hospitals are fitted out with advanced medical equipment and provide patients with curative, surgical and preventative care. The hospital’s staff are also providing training.

 

The Zayed Giving Initiative acts as an extension of the UAE health initiatives from which millions of patients have benefited around the world.

The Emirates Global Humanitarian Mobile Hospitals are among the most important achievements of the Initiative that succeeded locally and internationally with flying colors. These hospitals are considered the first of their kind in the world, as they provide therapeutic, surgical, training, preventive and high quality services.

 

Weqaya programme was also launched by the Initiative to enhance the level of awareness among society individuals. Furthermore, The Human Giving Festival was launched through which thousands of citizens and residents from different nationalities meet in Abu Dhabi to form together a human portrait embodying the giving of Zayed and his achievements in the aspects of human thoughts. “Unlimited Training” is another program that nurtures the skills of professional and medical staff to develop their performance in the fields of emergency medicine, cardiology, intensive care, injuries and disasters. There is also the National Program of Medical Response to Emergencies, Response, and the initiative of the National Program for Corporate Social Responsibility, to activate the private sector’s participation and adoption of development and socio-economic programs in the fields of health, education, environment, and culture for the deprived segments of the community, as well as to establish the culture of social and humanitarian responsibility in the corporations.

The Arab Philanthropy Forum, which is organized annually in Abu Dhabi by the Zayed Giving Initiative, is synchronized with Abu Dhabi Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Conference, held in the presence of kings, presidents, sheikhs and pioneers. It also introduced the initiative of electronic volunteering that aims at establishing the culture of giving and volunteering work, through attracting one million volunteers to participate in the social and economic development in health, education, environment, culture and humanitarian work, locally and globally.

 

The Zayed Giving Initiative launched the Emirates Group for Corporate Social Responsibility and the Emirates Centre for Volunteering, in addition to a mobile library which aims at encouraging the young students to take up reading as a habit and respecting books. It has also launched the first mobile laboratory for science and technology, considered to be the first of its kind in the UAE and Middle East region, to spread the principles of science and innovations of technology, and pave the way for creative students to develop their educational skills.

 

In the field of medical services, the Zayed Giving Initiative provides treatment, surgical and preventive programs for indigent patients with heart problems, children with congenital malformations and adults with arteriosclerosis and valve impairment, through the Giving Heart initiatives which has carried out over 1000 open heart surgeries for children and adults in cooperation with international specialized experts from the UAE, France, Britain, Canada, Italy, Arab and African countries.

 

The Zayed Giving Initiative has launched a campaign for social cohesion under the slogan “Social cohesion is a national responsibility” to provide the sustainable services in health, education, environment, family and economic fields for various segments of society.

 

The campaign was launched with the partnership of the Community Policing Department at the Ministry of Interior, the UAE Global Humanitarian Mobile Hospital, the Emirates Group for Social Responsibility and the Emirates Centre for Volunteering. The move comes in line with President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s call for social cohesion in his speech on the occasion of the UAE’s 38th National Day.

 

 

Awards and Recognitions

 

The Zayed Giving Initiative has been recognized by several countries and organizations for its exemplary work in the field of humanitarian causes and programmes in different parts of the world, especially the least developed and underdeveloped countries. The Initiative has been honored by many kings, presidents, sheikhs, and chairs of universities. It has obtained international awards from various volunteering and health organizations.

 

The Zayed Giving Initiative deserves the Hamdan Award for Volunteers in Humanitarian Medical Services in recognition of its exemplary work in several community services domains, especially the healthcare provision to the needy in times of disasters and for promoting voluntarism in different parts of the world.