Dubai: The ‘1 Billion Meals Endowment’ campaign is the first step towards launching a sustainable food aid endowment fund and it will continue until the target donation of Dh1 billion is achieved, said a top official.
“The largest food campaign in the region aims to support the world’s most underprivileged populations, especially in countries struggling with food insecurity, as well as vulnerable groups such as victims of conflicts and natural disasters around the world,” said Abdul Kareem Al Olama, CEO of the Mohammed bin Rashid Global Initiative (MBRGI) — the organisation spearheading the food campaign
In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Al Olama explained the main objectives of the campaign and how the ‘I Billion Meals Endowment’ will continue to provide food to the needy around the world.
“The main objective of the Endowment is to provide a food safety net for underprivileged populations in countries struggling with food insecurity, as well as vulnerable groups, including victims of crises and natural disasters,” he added.
Proceeds of the endowment fund will be channelled towards establishing sustainable food provision sites, ensuring sustainable aid for those in need, as well as a continuous reward for the contributors, as endowments are considered an ongoing charity.
Creating endowment culture
The campaign, he noted, aims to create sustainable solutions and implement effective programmes to fight and eradicate hunger in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
On the other hand, he explained the campaign aims to establish a culture of endowment that allows all components of the community to take part and make a difference, while at the same time strengthening the UAE’s role as a force for good extending aid to those in need.
The “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign builds on the success of previous food aid campaigns starting with “10 Million Meals” campaign in Ramadan 2020, which exceeded its target and provided 15.3 million meals.
This was followed in Ramadan 2021 by “100 Million Meals” campaign, which doubled its target and distributed 220 meals thanks to the contributions of 385,000 donators from 51 nationalities. Later, “1 Billion Meals” campaign launched in Ramadan 2022 hit its target in under a month, providing meals in 50 countries around the world with the support of 320,868 donators.
How it works
Al Olama explained the campaign aims to support the world’s most underprivileged populations, especially in countries struggling with food insecurity, as well as vulnerable groups such as victims of conflicts and natural disasters around the world.
Al Olama said: “The ‘1 Billion Meals Endowment’ campaign is the first step towards launching a sustainable food aid endowment fund. And it focuses on collecting donations throughout the holy month of Ramadan. The donations will make up the capital of the endowment fund.
“The endowment fund, once established, will be used in a way that achieves the highest return on its assets, by focusing on feasible sectors in line with economic growth through a Sharia-compliant contemporary Islamic approach. This helps increase the endowment fund’s impact and extends its reach to include more underprivileged communities.
“Proceeds of the endowment fund will be channelled towards establishing sustainable food provision sites, ensuring sustainable aid for those in need, as well as a continuous reward for the contributors, as endowments are considered an ongoing charity."
Campaign expectations
“We expect the “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign, running until achieving its target donations of Dh1 Billion, which will represent the capital of the food aid endowment fund,” noted Al Olama.
Proceeds will also be used in feeding programs implemented in underprivileged communities around the world. Such communities will be determined based on information and databases provided to the ‘1 Billion Meals Endowment’ campaign by relevant authorities and organisations in each country to ensure achieving its targets optimally.
Target communities
Al Olama further explained that the proceeds from investing the endowment fund assets will be used in feeding programs implemented in underprivileged communities around the world. Such communities will be determined based on information and databases provided to the “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign by relevant authorities and organisations in each country to ensure achieving its targets optimally.
Pledges in instalments
“Some entities are pledging donations over the next five years for endowments in their nature are ongoing sources of charity, lasting as long as the endowed capital is invested and grown in a way that ensures the highest return on its assets. In this sense, the Dh1 billion target we seek to achieve through the “1 Billion Meals Endowment” campaign will represent the capital of the endowment fund, which will be invested in a way that generates its own proceeds.
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 AED 1 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.
