du supports humanitarian initiatives under the directives of the UAE leadership

As part of a humanitarian drive launched under instructions given by the President of the UAE, HH Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, du has so far donated AED2 million to A’inouhum and Suqyahum to fund emergency aid for Horn of Africa countries. Furthermore, it facilitated a donation drive amongst its staff members and mobile customers, through whicha further AED751,000 has been raised so far. Channels to donate are being kept open until Wednesday, August 24.

A’inouhum, Arabic for ‘help them’, is part of a media campaign by Dubai Media Incorporated (DMI) under instruction from HH Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Suqyahum, meaning ‘quenching their thirst’ in Arabic, is a drive launched under instructions given by the President of the UAE, HH Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and followed closely by General Shaikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Money raised from the two campaigns will be used to provide emergency humanitarian aid to the Horn of Africa, where countries are being devastated by severe drought and famine. Over 165 million people in the region are affected by the drought in Somalia, Djibouti and Ethiopia; tens of thousands of people, mostly women and children, have so far succumbed to the shattering effects, with millions more suffering.

The total sum donated to this cause so far by du is over AED2.75 million. Of this amount, AED2 million came from the telecommunications company, while more than AED751,000 was raised through an internal donation drive and contributions from du customers, pledged through SMS.

“Countries in the Horn of Africa need our help to end the suffering of millions of people. We are proud of the massive support we have received from our customers and colleagues, who have donated such a significant amount through our internal and SMS campaigns to this cause,” said Hala Badri, Executive Vice President, Brand and Communications, du. “We have pledged our full support to the leadership of the UAE to help raise funds for the A’inouhum and Suqyahum aid initiatives to help those in need.”

A phenomenal response came from du’s social media channels, www.facebook.com/du.and.friends and @dutweets on Twitter, where the community pulled together to spread the word and pass on the donation details.

“Our online followers demonstrated a true sense of community – through their interactions with us, they helped to spread the message even further,” added Badri. “Their response to our campaign on Facebook and Twitter is very encouraging, and an example of just how compassionate and charitable the community in the UAE is.”