The Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Centre for Waqf and Endowment, affiliated with the Dubai Foundation for Endowments and Minors’ Affairs, has reaffirmed its commitment to executing the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The centre aims to position endowment institutions as key partners for governments in community development, effectively addressing various societal needs.
Diverse Vital Sectors
Ali Al-Mutawa, the Secretary-General of the foundation, noted that the centre manages ten innovative endowment projects that support various vital sectors affecting the lives of low-income individuals and families. These initiatives aim to enhance their quality of life through practical and sustainable solutions, covering key areas such as health, education, food, and social development.
The innovative initiatives include: (Waqf Certificates), the region’s first charitable endowment, allowing individuals and institutions to invest funds in savings accounts and direct the returns to specific charitable projects like supporting orphans, healthcare, or education, and (Lawyers’ Waqf), which involves a distinguished group of UAE lawyers.
This project provides free legal consultations to those unable to afford legal fees, along with (University Seats Waqf), which offers academic opportunities to students from low-income backgrounds.
Additionally, there is (Restaurant Table Waqf), enabling individuals to contribute to feeding the needy by designating endowment tables within restaurants, and (Real Estate Developers Waqf) to encourage developers to allocate properties for funding various charitable activities that benefit the community. This is complemented by the (Bread for All Initiative), which distributes free fresh bread to those in need and (School.com Initiative), providing technical solutions that support digital education for students from low-income families.
The Clothing Waqf (Ita’a) focuses on collecting second-hand clothes and household items, using the financial proceeds from their sale to establish sustainable endowments that support crucial sectors like education and health for disadvantaged groups.
Moreover, the (Hotels Waqf) aims to allocate free hotel rooms, with the proceeds benefiting orphans, and the recently launched (Dates Waqf) collects surplus dates and distributes them along with educational booklets about palm trees and dates in the UAE.
The Secretary-General of the Dubai Foundation for Endowments and Minors’ Affairs affirmed that the innovative endowments launched by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Centre for Waqf and Endowment over the years exemplify the leadership’s vision of integrating endowments as a fundamental partner in community development.
He stated, “We are keen on developing sustainable endowment projects characterized by flexibility and innovation, which yield tangible benefits in essential areas such as health, education, and food, ensuring the continuity of giving and expanding the beneficiary base to include diverse community segments.”
An Inspiring Model
Zainab Jumaa Al-Tamimi, Director of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Centre for Waqf and Endowment, added that such waqf initiatives represent an inspiring model both locally and regionally, contributing to broadening the concept of waqf in unconventional ways to serve the community and enhance quality of life.
She mentioned that the centre has been working for years to provide new and non-traditional waqf solutions that open up vast opportunities for charitable work through innovative tools like the restaurant table waqf or hotel room waqf or digital school, reflecting the waqf’s adaptability to meet community needs and promote a culture of goodwill in line with the demands of contemporary life.
Innovative Waqf Initiatives
• Waqf Certificates
• Lawyers’ Waqf
• University Seats Waqf
• Restaurant Table Waqf
• Real Estate Developers Waqf
• Bread for All Initiative
• School.com Initiative
• Clothing Waqf (Ita’a)
• Hotels Waqf
• Dates Waqf