CSR360

Posted: Wednesday 24 February 10, 11.08am GMT

As part of its ENGAGE Dubai programme promoting corporate employee volunteering in the UAE, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry gathered 265 volunteers from its participating partnership companies to volunteer their time and efforts at the Al Noor Center for Special Needs Family Funfair 2010.

The volunteers came from different economic sectors and provided assistance in setting up and running of the funfair which included manning the various games and recreational stalls that brought cheer to the special needs children and visitors.

Dubai Chamber mobilized 265 volunteers out of the total 800 required for the event with the help of its community development partners from TNT, Barclays, GE, Aramex, Fairmont Residences Palm Jumeirah, Emirates, Dubal, KPMG and Abu Dhabi Media Company.

Dr Belaid Rettab, Executive Director, Economic Research and Sustainable Business Development Sector, Dubai Chamber, maintained that this volunteering programme comes under ENGAGE Dubai’s ideology of getting like-minded companies to step in and contribute through their CSR activities. He further stressed that this family funfair is a good opportunity for the volunteers to help facilitate the integration of these special children into society.

He said, “Since its launch in November 2008, the ENGAGE Dubai volunteering programme has brought together businesses and community organisations to increase the quality and amount of employee community engagement in their local communities through CSR activities. The volunteers from our participating partners have contributed in many community initiatives and they are here again to bring the smile back on the faces of the children.”

Maria Jose Subiela, Project Director at Business in the Community, UK, said, “We are really impressed by the development of ENGAGE Dubai run by Dubai Chamber. The programme is growing in breath and impact showing a group of leading companies contributing as good residents and as concerned global citizens.”

William Durban from Barclays bank informed that his company’s participation in ENGAGE Dubai has provided their employees the opportunity to contribute, learn, share and enjoy themselves while helping others out. Their participation in such activities is seen as yet another outlet for the volunteers to give back to society.

The ENGAGE programme has been established since 2002 in London by the Business in the Community (BITC UK) organization and is operating in other major cities such as Paris, Frankfurt, Istanbul, and Hong Kong. The programme’s aim is to inspire, engage, support and challenge companies on responsible business, working through four areas: Community, Environment, Marketplace and Workplace.

The ENGAGE Dubai programme was established by Dubai Chamber’s Center for Responsible Business in November 2008 to provide active support for Dubai businesses to fully understand and act on their role in community development by building strategic partnerships with community organisations in the Emirate and to transfer skills from companies to the wider community.