Hundreds of low-income Emirati families caught up in debt or unable to sustain their needs will be given new accommodation and have their needs addressed following an initiative launched yesterday which relies heavily on donations.
Two charity organisations, Dar Al Ber and Bait Al Khair, have collaborated under a new social and charitable initiative called ‘Showing Gratitude’ to help 200 underprivileged Emirati families registered in both associations. Suitable homes will be found for them and all their expenses covered until they receive their final accommodation from the government.
The two associations have already identified the 200 families and have selected them based on how urgent their situation is and their living conditions after a committee researched and evaluated certain Emirati families living without a breadwinner.
Abdullah Ali Bin Zayed, Chief Executive Officer of Dar Al Ber Society said there was an urgent need to find long-term solutions to such problems in society, and that the larger the cooperation between associations and the larger the donations the faster the results.
“Based on a joint committee we were able to identify Emirati widows, divorcees, the elderly and orphans who desperately need help. Five families were given priority under this initiative and we’ve already started following up with them and addressing all their needs,” said Bin Zayed.
He also said that the joint committee will be following up with the project’s progress and doing all the legal and financial supervision.
As part of the initiative, a joint bank account has been opened in Dubai Islamic Bank for people who want to donate for the cause, and an amount of Dh1 million has been collected from each association so far.
Abdeen Taher Al Awadhi, General Manager at Beit Al Khair Society, said that they want to help as many families as possible, and that it all depends on the amount of donations coming in.
“There are some serious cases we found with families who have been living in rented houses and are unable to pay for their homes any more. We need to cover all the costs they are unable to pay and reunite them with their families in the city they belong to,” he said.
Saeed Mubarak Al Mazroui, Deputy General Manager of Beit Al Khair, said that the welfare of Emirati remains the government’s top priority and “the government always provides enough help to all members of the society”.
“Together, through combined efforts, we can end this problem. Helping these families with a small amount of money will not solve the problem because after a couple of months they will not have money for water, electricity and schooling. These issues will be addressed through this project until they get their final homes,” he said.
He also said that charity associations act as mediators between different sectors and underprivileged families to speed up the process of finding a solution to their problems.
The process of getting a house from the government depends on signing up in a housing programme, but usually the waiting list takes two to three years which forces some families to rent a home until their home is ready.
