Launching the 1st international voluntary programme for DEWA employees

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 9 August 2017

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UAE Water Aid Foundation (Suqia) and Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Charity and Humanitarian Establishment (MBRHC), to implement joint humanitarian initiatives outside the UAE. This is part of DEWA’s CSR efforts to support the Year of Giving 2017, and align its social and voluntary activities with the main goals of the ‘Year of Zayed 2018’ initiative.

The MoU was signed by HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Suqia; and HE Khalid Ali bin Zayed Al Falasi, Member of the Board of Trustees of MBRHC, in the presence of Saleh Zaher Al Mazrui, General Manager of MBRHC.

The MoU aims to enhance cooperation between the three parties in the field of volunteering to help developing countries. This helps to focus their work during the Year of Giving, on three main subjects: the establishment of responsibility in the public and private sectors to play their role in serving the country and contribute to its development process, promoting the spirit and culture of volunteering among the different segments of society, and serving the nation and society in all aspects.

“Signing the agreement was part of our efforts to support the Year of Giving, launched by HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and under the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, to develop a comprehensive framework for the Year of Giving, taking into account the emergence of a qualitative and sustainable partnership between the private and the public sector. Furthermore, this supports promoting volunteer work among all segments of society at all levels: local, regional, and global,” said HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Suqia.

“We follow the approach of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who established the principles of humanitarian work in the UAE. The values of giving and charity have become the main principles of the UAE's mission to lend its helping hand in many parts of the world. Through the MoU, we will work to spread joint voluntary programmes, and encourage DEWA staff to join, and contribute to the implementation of CSR work, inside and outside the country,” added Al Tayer.

“The MoU has been already put into action by launching ‘Risalat Khair’; a cooperation between the three parties, to help poor families in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, through the establishment of various sustainable projects to ensure a stable income and a decent life, which supports the region’s social and economic development. As HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, once observed, ‘Giving is not only donations or charity, but the real giving is making a difference.. Difference in a man's life, society or the progress of a country. This is the giving I have learned from the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan’. The programme will run from 10 to 16 August this year with the participation of 15 DEWA volunteers for 10 voluntary hours per day,” noted Al Tayer.

“The programme includes several charitable initiatives, including the ‘Al Khair Truck’ initiative to support the under-privileged families by providing them with trucks in order that they can het steady income; the ‘Al Khair Hives’ initiative to help productive families to produce the natural honey which is a profitable trade in Tajikistan; the ‘Al Khair Workshop’ at the Arts Education Centre, to provide sewing machines for widows and orphans; and an initiative to buy school bags to help students in need. In addition, the charitable programme includes the establishment of a medical clinic and a school, as well as proceeding with Suqia’s projects in Tajikistan to dig wells and provide people with clean water,” explained Al Tayer.

“Under the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Sponsor of MBRHC, and under the patronage of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), and as part of its expansion policy in charitable and humanitarian endeavors, MBRHC strives to partner with various government sectors, to maximize its assistance and relief projects. We have signed an MoU with DEWA and Suqia, to serve as a vivid example of fruitful cooperation between state institutions, in implementing community projects that benefit the country and people,” said HE Khalid Ali bin Zayed Al Falasi, Member of the Board of Trustees of MBRHC.

Al Falasi thanked DEWA and Suqia officials for their full cooperation with MBRHC. He stressed that the implementation of the terms of the MoU will be evident on the ground, through several charitable and humanitarian projects. The partnership between the three parties motivates others to follow the same path towards serving humanity and conveying the message of good in the world.

-Ends-

For more information, please contact: 
Ribal Dayekh or Iman Saeed      
Dubai Electricity and Water Authority      
+971 4 307 2006 or 515 0512      
ribal.dayekh@dewa.gov.ae   
iman.saeed@dewa.gov.ae                      

Nabil Khoury or Eman Hussein
Hattlan Media 
+971 56 114 1177 or 050 736 6990
nabil@hattlan.com 
eman@hattlan.com

© Press Release 2017