70,000 participated and more than AED2 million raised

HE Raja Al Gurg:

“The UAE community is mindful of the importance of developing advanced medical research capabilities and the impact of that on the UAE 2021 Vision”

Al Jalila Foundation’s “United in Health” campaign has attracted more than 70,000community supporters over a period of six days, demonstrating an outstanding level of awareness amongst the UAE community of the importance of medical research to the UAE’s sustainable future. The unique “I Love UAE” structure in the Bloomingdale’s Atrium atThe Dubai Mall was covered with thousands of tokens pledging support to the nation’s health and prosperityand supporting medical research.

Her Excellency Raja EasaSaleh Al Gurg, Member of the Board of Trustees and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Al Jalila Foundation, said:

“We are delighted to see this great community support, from locals and residents alike, to the UAE on its 42nd National Day, which has taken on more meaning now with the announcement of the Expo 2020 win, a victory for our visionary leadership and this country. As the world now turns to our nation’s achievements for inspiration, we are proud to be playing a role in building a healthier and more prosperous nation in line with UAE Vision 2021. A significant part of what we do is educating youngsters to instil a culture of medical research at a grass roots level, which is in line with Al Jalila Foundation’s long-term vision.”

Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said:

“The support was overwhelming and we were extremely excited to see children and adults from all over descend on our I Love UAE atrium. The campaign has raised over AED2 million to support our medical research projects. The level of support we received from individuals, corporates and educational institutions is an indication of how much the community believes in the ability of advanced medical research to build a healthier and more sustainable nation.We extend our gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of the campaign, and special thanks to GEMS Education, and Amity University Dubai for their generous support in raising awareness among the youth and extending the reach of our message to over 100,000 students.”

The Varkey GEMS Foundation engaged more than 7000 students from 13 GEMS Education schools in the campaign with a number of them visiting the stand throughout the week. The GEMS schools that went to the stall to tie their messages include The Kindergarten Starters, which sent a delegation of students to pledge on behalf of 5,500 students, GEMS New Millennium School – Al Khail, Our Own English High School – Al Warqa’a and Cambridge International School.

Students from Amity University Dubaivolunteered their timeto sell tokens in the university as well as on the stand.

The ‘United in Health’ campaign was organisedin association with Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, and sponsored by Dubai Healthcare City and Paris Gallery. Support sponsors include The Dubai Mall, Watani, Ahmed Seddiqi& Sons and Hills Advertising.