Al Jalila Foundation’s medical education programmes garner AED5 million support from Al Ansari Exchange
14 Apr 2014
Al Jalila Foundation (the ‘Foundation’), a global philanthropic organisation established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, announced today that it has signed a gift agreement with Al Ansari Exchange, a UAE-based foreign exchange and worldwide money transfer company; whereby the latter will commit AED5 million to support the Foundation’s medical education and treatment programmes with a focus on funding programs for the rehabilitation of children with special needs.
Khalaf Al Habtoor, Vice Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Al Jalila Foundation, signed the grant agreement on behalf of Al Jalila Foundation with Mohammed Ali Al Ansari, Chairman and Managing Director of Al Ansari Exchange. Present in the meeting were Abdul Ghaffar Hussein, member of the Board of Trustees of Al Jalila Foundation; Rashed Ali Al Ansari, General Manager of Al Ansari Exchange; and Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation.
Khalaf Al Habtoor said: “Al Jalila Foundation’s vision is to position Dubai and the UAE at the forefront of medical innovation through meaningful and lasting investments in medical education and research. This generous support from Al Ansari Exchange today is a further testament that we are not alone on this journey, and that corporates are increasingly realising the long-term value of developing national medical capabilities. We will continue to rely on the support of the UAE society and business community as we contribute to achieving a healthy and prosperous future for our nation.”
Mohammad Ali Al Ansari commented: “This move reflects Al Ansari Exchange’s deep sense of social responsibility towards the society. Our organisation understands the importance of social work and strives to support local and international humanitarian projects and initiatives as much as we can. Al Ansari Exchange is also committed to fostering a spirit of giving and solidarity among the country’s various social segments. Our collaboration with the Al Jalila Foundation underlines our belief in the UAE’s humanitarian, social and development goals; we intend to continue supporting the Foundation’s vision, where our initiative comes within the framework of supporting healthcare projects in general as well as funding programmes for the rehabilitation of children with special needs.”
Al Jalila Foundation’s medical education pillar aims to nurture world-class medical capabilities in the UAE capable of supporting the nation’s long-term vision. Amongst its initiatives is the medical scholarships programme, which enables UAE nationals with passion for healthcare to pursue their postgraduate medical studies in reputable local universities. The Foundation has committed to invest AED3 million annually to this programme, and has 17 students currently benefitting from it.
Another initiative owned by Al Jalila Foundation is Ta’alouf, a unique programme that provides behavioural training to parents and teachers of children with special needs to empower them with life-changing skills. The objective of the programme is to foster a unified society where children with special needs rise above what they cannot do, and are enabled to have a positive impact on society. Ta’alouf has already enabled 55 parents to provide better care to their children with special needs, and the Foundation intends to expand the programme’s reach to 400 parents in the coming three years.
Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama expressed his gratitude to Al Ansari Exchange for the thoughtful contribution and spoke about the effect it will have on the Foundation’s medical education programmes. “Medical education is a key pillar of Al Jalila Foundation’s vision, through which we seek to nurture world-class medical talent capable of driving the development of a thriving healthcare sector based on medical research and innovation. The generous support from Al Ansari Exchange means that more health professionals will be ready to take our national medical capability to new heights. It is very encouraging to see the community continuing its support to children with disabilities to ensure greater social inclusion.”