Emirates Integrated Telecomm PJSC : du’s Mawaed Al Rahman initiative inspires overwhelming support from the UAE Volunteer community

du and Tarahum were overwhelmed with the support their Mawaed Al Rahman initiative received from both the individual and corporate communities around the UAE. Over 1000 volunteers contributed to ensure that 12,000 reusable, environmentally friendly boxes were packed with essential Ramadan ingredients to ensure a healthy, home cooked Iftar meal for over 10,000 families this Holy month. The massive support from UAE volunteers ensured that all the boxes were packed ahead of schedule and are now ready for distribution.

'It is incredibly inspiring to see people take the time out of their busy days and work schedules, and come together for such a worthy cause. We had an overwhelming turnout of enthusiastic volunteers from various communities who were able to translate the spirit of the Holy month into their good deeds,' said Hala Badri, Executive Vice President, Brand and Communications, du. 'We were thrilled to welcome corporate volunteers from UAE organisations, who really came out to support the communities that they are part of. We look forward to seeing even more corporate participation from UAE businesses in future social activations.'

This year, other corporate volunteers joined du's cohort of company volunteers. du encourages all members of the private and corporate community to join in such initiatives to enhance and promote sustainability in the UAE.

Commenting on the initiative, Maryam Bahlooq, Executive Vice President, Head of HR Business Partnership, Emirates NBD, said: 'Initiatives like this really enable us to bring our employees together for the benefit of the greater good. We are delighted to support du and Tarahum in their noble cause, and wish to thank them for helping us being a part of it. We also wish to sincerely thank our staff who participated in this worthy cause which is not only for the benefit of our community, but for the benefit of the UAE as a whole.'

Remya Mohan, Sustainability Coordinator, Al Futtaim Carillion, also said: 'Our participation in this event was fueled by our inherent belief in the importance to give back to the community, especially during the Holy Month of Ramadan. We were honoured to take part in this initiative and make a positive contribution to the UAE by collaborating with du to maximize the effects of CSR for entire communities.'

As the packing initiative has now concluded, du will begin distributing the boxes to families throughout Dubai and the Northern Emirates on June 11. The distribution initiative will be ongoing until June 25.

Each year, du engages volunteers from its own cohort of employees as well as from the greater community at large for its annual Mawaed Al Rahman Initiative. Last year, in partnership with Tarahum, engaged 933 UAE residents, who collectively contributed over 3,100 volunteering hours. Together with the volunteers from du, the telco engaged 1,296 volunteers who contributed over 5,500 volunteering hours to the Ramadan initiative. Over the last ten years, du has distributed over 500,000 meals to UAE communities, and has inspired residents to continue contributing to these initiatives.