Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha (HIAB), Citi and UAE Red Crescent partner to support unprivileged children in the UAE

13 June 2017 | News

Dubai, UAE, Monday June 12, 2017:The employees of Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha, Citi and UAE Red Crescent partnered in an event yesterday to celebrate the true spirit of Ramadan by sharing an iftar with a group of less fortunate children.
Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha, a partner with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Citi and Emirates Red Crescent partnered in the true spirit of Ramadan to support 100 underprivileged children in the UAE and embraced Ramadan yesterday at The Gem Garden.


To mark the Year of Giving in the UAE and to celebrate the 12th year of Citi’s Global Community Day, over 200 volunteers from Citi UAE, Holiday Inn and UAE Red Crescent shared a meal with orphans at The Gem Garden restaurant at the Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha.
 
Citi collected close to 1000 educational books and donated clothing through the “Share a touch of Love’’ Omo and Comfort campaign in partnership with the UAE Red Crescent. The Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha also donated goodie bags.
 
Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha CEO Roxana Jaffer has pledged that every Iftar meal consumed by a guest in the hotel’s The Gem Garden restaurant will enable funds to feed four hungry persons.
 
The pledge is part of the hotel’s corporate sustainability programme “Loves You Campaign “and serves to underscore its role as a responsible global corporate citizen. As a member of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), HIAB abides to UNGC’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), aligning its business practices with 12 of 17 sustainability goals in helping to transform the world, viz – No Poverty; Zero Hunger; Good Heath and Well Being; Quality Education; Gender Equality; Clean Water and Sanitation; Affordable and Clean Energy; Decent Work and Economic Growth; Reduced Inequalities; Sustainable cities and communities; Responsible consumption and production and Partnerships for the Goals.
 
Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha launched “Loves You Campaign” in 2007 as part of an endeavour to go beyond the bottom-line to demonstrate corporate social responsibility, as stated by the hotel. The key message of the hotel’s campaign is summed up by the saying, “Life isn’t worth living unless it is lived for someone else”, which has enabled the hotel to inculcate within the staff members an ethos of giving, of putting another person’s needs before oneself which reflects in service accorded to the guest that in turn helps to deliver the hotel’s business objectives. In addition, the campaign allows staff to make a difference in the lives of others who they can see are less fortunate than themselves. In the nine years since establishing the campaign, the hotel staff has held numerous charity awareness and fundraising drives.
 
“With your help, we have been able to feed 440,776 children through the UN World Food Programme. Our goal for 2017 is to support emergency food assistance in most needed countries. In–house guests can help us to feed starving children around the world by making a voluntary donation of AED 5 (US$ 1.4) upon check-out to feed five hungry children. In 2014, we had emergency food assistance delivered to 16,500 people affected by the conflict in Syria. In 2013, we provided 115,000 packs of high energy biscuits to the victims of typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. In 2012, we donated 74,165 school meals around the world. In 2016 up to Ramadan, we managed to sustain over 50,000 people who suffered in the Nepal earthquake. Our work continues,” Jaffer said.
 
The iftar buffet at The Gem Garden is available for AED 109 ($30) per person until the last day of the holy month of Ramadan, with special rates for bookings of 10 persons and above.


Citi celebrates its 12th annual Global Community Day
 
This year Citi celebrates its 12th annual Global Community Day, with more 500 Citi volunteers in the UAE joining the efforts of nearly 100,000 of their colleagues, family and friends in 500 cities in 91 countries and territories to engage in service activities in their local communities. In the days leading up to and including Global Community Day, Citi volunteers will participate in more than 1,500 service projects ranging from urban revitalization to mentorship and job skills training, literacy and education, environmental conservation and disaster relief.
 
For the second year, Citi volunteers in the Middle East and Africa Region are participating in efforts that support the Citi Foundation’s Pathways to Progress initiative under the “e3 – educate, empower, engage” campaign. Volunteers are empowering youth through an educational drive, which aims to reduce educational inequality and lower the barriers that youth face when they access the workforce.
 
“Global Community Day is a decade-long tradition of Citi employees, friends and family working alongside our partners in making a positive contribution to the communities we live in”, said Elissar Farah Antonios, Citi’s Chief Executive Officer for the UAE.“This year marks the Year of Giving in the UAE and we are honored to partner with the Holiday Inn and the Emirates Red Crescent to support underprivileged children in the region. In the true spirit of Ramadan, we are humbled by the opportunity to share a meal with those less fortunate during this Holy Month.’’
 
Emirates Red Crescent
For his part, Mr. Mohammed Abdullah Al Haj Al Zarooni, Director of the Red Crescent Authority in Dubai, expressed his thanks and appreciation for this humanitarian initiative presented by Citi and Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha Hotel and called for more community partnerships to support disadvantaged groups, especially orphans. The Authority is keen to develop sponsorship programs to achieve their psychological, social and educational integration.


Photo caption: Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha, a partner with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), Citi and Emirates Red Crescent partnered in the true spirit of Ramadan to support 100 underprivileged children in the UAE and embraced Ramadan yesterday at The Gem Garden.

From left to right: Nedjma Benbouzid , Citi Corporate Communications – Middle East & North Africa, Elissar Farah Antonios, Citi’s Chief Executive Officer for the UAE
– Roxana Jaffer, CEO, Sovereign Hotels Dubai | Resident Director, Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha- Habiba Al Marashi . President & CEO – Arabia CSR Network , Chairperson – Emirates Environmental Group Member – GRI Stakeholder Council and Joelle Saab Projects Executive – Arabia CSR Network.





– Proud to collaborate with #CitiVolunteers in #UAE for a charity iftar with #emiratesredcrescent #holidayinndubaialbarsha
– #holidayinnalbarsha and #CitiVolunteers helped give back to people in need in our community in #UAE during a charity iftar #emiratesredcrescent