Dubai Cares, part of Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, today honored the winners of its "Dubai Cares Distinguished Philanthropic Award in Schools" at a special ceremony held at Jumeirah Creekside Hotel in Dubai. The winners of both Award categories - the Philanthropic School Award and the Young Philanthropists Award - were recognized for the hard work put behind developing creative and effective fundraising concepts to help raise funds and co-create ideas in support of Dubai Cares’ efforts to help children and young people in developing countries realize their hopes and dreams through education.
 
All the participating schools present at the ceremony were acknowledged for their commendable efforts in addition to the supporting partners whose role was instrumental in making this initiative a successful reality, namely the UAE Ministry of Education and the Knowledge & Human Development Authority (KHDA). 
 
Dubai Cares launched the Dubai Cares Distinguished Philanthropic Award in Schools in 2015 to encourage students from UAE-based public and private schools to devise and put into action innovative and effective fundraising concepts that support the provision of quality education to children in developing countries.
 
Speaking about this year’s edition of the "Dubai Cares Distinguished Philanthropic Award in Schools", Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares said: “Through this Award, we have witnessed our nation’s energetic, compassionate, and forward-thinking students – with the support of their schools – embody their commitment to philanthropy which is at the core of the ‘Year of Giving’. The UAE’s ‘Year of Giving’ encourages all of us to look beyond our own lives, and our personal concerns and priorities, and dedicate ourselves to improving and transforming the lives of others through volunteerism, service, social responsibility, and global citizenship. We thank all participating students and schools who have shown impressive creativity in developing and executing successful and unique fundraising concepts. We are also thankful to supporting partners - the UAE Ministry of Education and the Knowledge & Human Development Authority (KHDA), without whom this initiative would not have been possible.”
 
The competition consists of two categories – the Philanthropic School Award, which was awarded to the  school that has raised the most amount of funds; and the Young Philanthropists Award, was awarded to the group of students who had the most creative and original fundraising concept. In the Philanthropic School Award category, the first, second and third place winners were Dubai National School, GEMS Modern Academy and the Kindergarten Starters, respectively. In the Young Philanthropists Award category, the first, second and third place winner teams were from Al Jurf Secondary School, GEMS Royal Dubai School and Primus Private School, respectively. 
 
Amal Al Redha, Director of Fundraising at Dubai Cares said: “The results this year were truly inspiring. We were very impressed by the creativity, clarity of thought and optimism of students. The fundraising concepts presented by students demonstrate awareness and compassion among the UAE’s younger generation, whose creative talents and capacity for giving have been encouraged and empowered by their teachers, coordinators, and principals. Together, they have brought this campaign to life, and the greatest tribute to their efforts is that they will now bring hope and open up new horizons for their peers in developing countries by providing them with an opportunity to go to school and learn.”
 
The ethos and objectives of the Award align with the UAE’s “Year of Giving”, which, throughout 2017, will encourage UAE residents of all ages and backgrounds to cultivate and enhance a spirit of philanthropy and compassion across the nation. The Award also aims to instill and nurture a lasting commitment to helping others among the UAE community. It also seeks to increase the involvement of members of the community in Dubai Cares’ work, enhance the organization’s links with schools, raise awareness of the obstacles to accessing education in developing countries, and position Dubai Cares as a leading advocate for quality education globally.