Today's Edition
SARA ALZAABI (ABU DHABI)
When the Mother of the Nation Endowment for Orphans was launched during the holy month of Ramadan earlier this year, it did not only raise money: it also changed mindsets.
The campaign surpassed Dh3.3 billion in contributions during the holy month, but for Fahad Abdulqader Al Qassim, Director General of Awqaf Abu Dhabi, the more significant achievement is what it signals about how giving in the UAE is evolving.
"This initiative was never designed to be a one-time campaign," Al Qassim told Aletihad. "It aims to move from reactive charity to a system that is structured, sustainable and future-focused."
More than 31,000 contributors answered that call, a response that Al Qassim described as evidence of a deeper cultural shift. He said this can be traced back to the legacy of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and the enduring inspiration of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, Mother of the Nation, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, President of the Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood, and Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation.
"Giving is no longer seen as occasional," Al Qassim said. "It is becoming an ongoing responsibility embedded within the fabric of the nation."
Building a System that Endures
The campaign is built around the “waqf model”, an Islamic endowment structure where contributions are preserved and invested to generate sustainable returns rather than spent outright. It is an ancient concept being applied in distinctly modern ways.
"The capital is preserved and the returns are used to provide continuous support," Al Qassim explained, pointing to areas such as education, healthcare, and quality of life for orphans as the focus of that ongoing assistance.
This sustainability is reinforced through income-generating projects and long-term partnerships, such as the development of Mother of the Nation City, launched through a collaboration between Awqaf Abu Dhabi and Eagle Hills.
Diverse contribution models further insulate the fund from the ebbs and flows of seasonal generosity — creating, as Al Qassim put it, "a predictable and resilient system of support that extends well beyond seasonal giving”.
The model, he argued, reflects the UAE’s wider development approach. “[The country focuses] on building institutions that endure, rather than solutions that are temporary.”
A Shared Responsibility
Part of what drove the campaign's reach was how it was framed: not as an appeal to individual generosity, but as a collective societal duty, especially within the context of the Year of Family, Al Qassim said.
"Caring for orphans is not something a few people do," he said. "It is something we all take responsibility for as a society." That framing, he added, made the cause feel immediate rather than abstract. "It didn't feel distant. It felt close to home."
The strong engagement from individuals, institutions, and the private sector suggests that message landed. And Al Qassim saw it as part of greater awareness of what endowment actually means.
"People are now beginning to understand that your contribution doesn't just help once. It keeps supporting someone over time," he said. "That continuity, and the ability to provide stability, dignity, and opportunity over time, is the most meaningful measure of its success."
With trust, transparency and governance increasingly central to how the model is managed, Al Qassim believed the campaign has done more than support orphans. It has demonstrated that endowment — long seen as a niche or traditional concept — is becoming "a very practical, modern tool for social development that allows us to plan ahead, respond sustainably, and build systems that last”.
