JUMAA AL NAEMI (ABU DHABI)
Volunteer work is considered a fundamental pillar in enhancing sustainable development and building a better future for new generations, said Salama Al Ameemi, Director General of the Authority of Social Contribution, Ma’an. This belief stems from volunteer work’s pivotal role in enhancing social cohesion and the significant positive contribution it makes in enhancing social, economic, and cultural development in Abu Dhabi, she added.
In remarks to Aletihad, Al Ameemi said that the Ma’an gives special importance to volunteer work and active community participation, where its volunteers contribute to shaping a cooperative society through creating a real social impact and enhancing the lifestyle of individuals in society.
She noted that Ma’an works on finding solutions to several social challenges, in addition to enhancing the sense of belonging, awareness of community needs, and driving economic development through partnerships, capacity building, and innovation.
Highlighting the significant increase in volunteer opportunities, Al Ameemi noted that more than 1,300 volunteers have given opportunities, contributing to achieving financial stability of about 200 individuals from low-income families, and enhancing the social welfare and mental health of about 210 senior citizens.
Social Priorities
Al Ameemi affirmed the authority’s continued commitment to addressing social priorities in Abu Dhabi through community participation programmes and comprehensive, specially tailored volunteer programmes, which have proven successful. She noted that the Authority offered 57 volunteering opportunities, with the volunteer value reaching Dh14.9 million.
Ma’an, through community participation and volunteering programmes, supports licensed non-profit institutions, social institutions, volunteer groups, schools, academic institutions, and private sector companies, financially supporting them to implement a range of programmes, or proposing new volunteer initiatives aimed at addressing social priorities in Abu Dhabi.
The authority also allows its specialised volunteers to lead and implement programmes and initiatives, based on the concepts of a cooperative society, while volunteers personally benefit by employing their specialisations, skills, and hobbies to address social priorities, and activating their role as active individuals in society capable of giving back to the Abu Dhabi community, she said.
Individual Contributions
According to Ma’an, in 2022, eight listed companies in the financial market made their financial contributions to achieve social impact in Abu Dhabi as part of the corporate social responsibility programme. These contributions, along with individual contributions totalling Dh5.38 million compared with Dh4.05 million in 2021, were collected through various means such as ADPay service, social contribution platform, text messages, ATMs, direct deposits, InstaShop platform, and others.
Additionally the government sector provided a total contribution of Dh7 million, compared with Dh3.6 million in 2021. These figures reflect an advanced level of cooperation, cohesion, and trust in the role of the Authority of Social Contribution, Ma’an, as a catalyst for social development, Al Ameemi said.
The Authority applies an innovative financial model that operates on the principle of “pay-for-results” to finance solutions for complex social challenges and create sustainable and measurable social impact that generates financial return, according to Al Ameemi.
She indicated that the Social Impact Bonds of the Ma’an Authority are the first of their kind in the region, enabling the private sector and individuals to invest in providing social services while committing to creating sustainable and measurable social impact to address complex and costly social challenges. Ma’an also pays special attention to empower the third sector to thrive in Abu Dhabi through various support channels, making use of knowledge, expertise, networks, and financing, Al Ameemi added.
Additionally the Authority is partnering with government entities to identify priorities and direct funds to programmes that serve the social needs of the city. The ATMAH Programme Elaborating further on the Authorities programmes, she highlighted The ATMAH programme, which encourages institutions to develop and implement more inclusive policies in the workplace through direct interaction with people of determination.
The programme helped a number of institutions and government bodies to modify employment methods and increase their capabilities. This effort starts from job descriptions and extends to making work hours more flexible, Al Ameemi said.
The ATMAH programme encouraged employers to develop structures and provide support to generalise the concept of inclusion in all human resource policies, not just employment policies, she noted, adding that the goal is to create inclusive methodologies and apply them in all aspects of the institution.
Al Ameemi further outlined the prominent results of this programme, including stimulating innovation in financing social programmes, demonstrating the value of results-based methodologies, enhancing partnerships and collectively addressing challenges, and modifying behaviour.
Family Support Programme
Al Ameemi stated that the ‘Beginnings’ programme was launched in 2022, a social support programme aimed at developing comprehensive support services for families in Abu Dhabi. This programme aims to guide children below the age of eight of divorced parents who face new social challenges and difficulties in dealing with the situation. In addition, the programme offers practical strategies for parents to support their children’s social and emotional development and enhance their lifestyle.
She stressed that the Authority aims to enable children of divorced parents to have a safe, stable, and happy life. The intended impact of the programme is to enhance mental and social health by reducing emotional and behavioural problems, boosting self-confidence, improving children’s discipline and social skills, and enhancing communication skills between parents and children, as well as promoting stability.
The programme’s objectives also include reducing family problems and disputes, and increasing the level of satisfaction and happiness.
The Third Sector
The third sector plays a fundamental and effective role in achieving the goal of Ma’an in developing cooperative and cohesive communities. The Authority aims to achieve this goal by enhancing the capabilities and empowerment of third sector institutions, and offering a variety of initiatives, programmes, and learning platforms.
She affirmed that the Authority attaches great importance to empowering and developing the capabilities of Abu Dhabi’s growing network of social institutions, civil establishments, and non-profit organisations. Ma’an also implements social incubator programmes to support the third sector, offering grants and financial support.
Al Ameemi noted that financial support and grants are provided to support third sector institutions that offer sustainable solutions to social priorities in Abu Dhabi, in addition to offering the first-of-its-kind Social Purpose Company classification certificate in the UAE for accrediting institutions and companies aimed at addressing social priorities and achieving a positive social impact in the community.