Dubai Cares, a UAE-based charitable establishment, was launched on September 19, 2007 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Prime Minister and Vice-President and Ruler of Dubai. Dubai Cares aims to improve children's access to primary education in developing countries.
Through the introduction of philanthropic initiatives and promotion of social entrepreneurship, Dubai Cares works to mobilize Dubai's multicultural community to contribute to sustainable growth and development around the world.
This organization was founded to reflect the commitments of the people of the United Arab Emirates commitment to the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals and the values they embody. Specifically, the affirms and promotes seven fundamental principles:
1) Leading global efforts in ensuring children’s access to quality primary education in developing countries regardless of their gender, ethnicity or religion
2) Recognizing education as the best long-term solution to global poverty
3) Comprehensive in scope, the philanthropic organization’s primary education programs integrate four key components: School Infrastructure; School Health & Nutrition; Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) in Schools; and Quality of Education.
4) Approaching programs with an innovative entrepreneurial spirit
5) Actively engaging with international aid and development agencies to implement comprehensive development programs that promote an integrated approach towards education and ensure long-term and sustainable impact
6) Mobilizing the UAE’s corporate, business and social communities toward proactive global citizenship
7) Working towards achieving, by 2015, the United Nations Millennium Development (UNMDG) Goals 2 and 3 of guaranteeing universal primary education and promoting gender equality, respectively. Dubai Cares is also helping forge a global partnership for development, as indicated by UN MDG 8.
Dubai Cares’ educational focus goes beyond the delivery of the basic needs of school supplies and facilities; it seeks to deliver needs-based development packages which include assistance in the areas of health, nutrition, teacher training and life-skills. Now considered to be the largest NGO dedicated to primary education globally, Dubai Cares is a fully transparent charitable establishment, run based on international best practices for international NGOs.
Dubai Cares has prioritized its phase one grants to countries that demonstrate the highest gap in primary education. Dubai Cares’ programming has directly impacted over 7 million children in 28 developing countries around the world.
Dubai Cares has active partnerships with organizations that include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Plan International, Save the Children, UNICEF, Medecins Sans Frontieres, OXFAM, Water Aid and Care International.
