Ramadan 2023: 1 Billion Meals Endowment campaign raises Dhs247m in first week

The ‘1 Billion Meals Endowment’ campaign, launched a week ago by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has raised Dhs247m so far.

Read: Sheikh Mohammed launches 1 billion meals endowment campaign

According to the Dubai Media Office, the campaign received donations from 13,220 major contributors, individuals, businesses and public and private sector players.

Of these, 13,195 contributors donated via smart channels.

Mohammad Al Gergawi: The remarkable response to “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign across the #UAE community is a reflection of its long-held values of giving and generosity.
https://t.co/A9Xs5ao7qs pic.twitter.com/c99zAGmASH

— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) March 26, 2023

The ‘1 Billion Meals Endowment’ campaign is implemented under the umbrella of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), the largest regional foundation in terms of the number of institutional initiatives that lead wide-reaching programmes and projects on a global scale.

It is an expansion of the UAE’s previous Ramadan campaigns ‘1 Billion Meals’, ‘100 Million Meals’ and ’10 Million Meals’, organised under the directives of Sheikh Mohammed, in 2020, 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Read: UAE’s Sheikh Mohammed announces one billion meals campaign

Last year’s “One Billion Meals” was the largest of its kind regionally, providing one billion meals in 50 countries.

Mohammad Al Gergawi, secretary general of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, said: “The ‘1 Billion Meals Endowment’ campaign reflects the vision of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum for sustaining charitable efforts, opening the door for everyone hoping to make a lasting impact.

“On the other hand, the remarkable response we see across the UAE community is a reflection of its long-held values of giving and generosity, and a testament of its moral sense of responsibility towards the global efforts to eradicate hunger around the world.”

He added: “The campaign paves the way for a new concept of charitable work that is sustainable and impactful in a way that meets the specific needs of underprivileged populations. The food aid endowment fund created under the campaign is a key milestone in UAE’s humanitarian efforts.

“Our community’s race to contribute, with 13,220 contributors donating Dhs247 million in one week only, is not new to our community. We are confident that the next days will see more contributions to the endowment fund.”

Donation channels for the ‘1 Billion Meals Endowment’ campaign

The ‘1 Billion Meals Endowment’ campaign is receiving donations and contributions to the endowment fund from institutions and individuals across five main channels including the campaign’s website (www.1billionmeals.ae).

You can also donate through a dedicated call centre via the toll-free number (800 9999).

Donations are also possible via bank transfers in the UAE Dirham to the campaign bank account number with Emirates NBD (AE30 0260 0010 1533 3439 802).

Donations via SMS give contributors the option to donate Dhs1 daily through a monthly subscription, by sending the word “Meal” to 1020 for du users, or to 1110 for Etisalat by e& users.

Those who wish to donate to the campaign through the DubaiNow app can do so by clicking on the ‘Donations’ tab.