The Department of Community Development (DCD), in collaboration with its partners in Abu Dhabi’s social sector, has announced a series of initiatives targeting members of society in their entirety during the holy month of Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, through organizing more than 42 varied initiatives, based on three main themes; sports and physical fitness, family cohesion (while observing social distancing), alongside initiatives pertaining to support, generosity and tolerance.
Together with its partners, the ADDCD continues to develop initiatives and services tailored to the needs of society to address the challenges that may face its members as a result of the current conditions coinciding with the Covid-19 pandemic. The initiatives aim to provide opportunities and services to individuals and promote social growth, in order to achieve the vision of ensuring a dignified life for all members of society.
Sports & Physical Fitness
The first theme focusing on sports aims to promote physical activity through eight awareness-raising campaigns and community-based programs launched in early Ramadan, in coordination with the Abu Dhabi Sports Council and other partners in the social sector, with a view to disseminating sports’ health, psychological and physical benefits and the importance of physical activity. These include a series of educational and edification lectures to be organized as part of the "Fit@Home" series, as well as a number of lectures for ADDCD-affiliated governmental institutions. The efficacies target senior citizens, people with special needs, and families as a whole, along with the publication of a series of videos and awareness messages focusing on physical activity and how to adjust the daily lifestyle during Ramadan in terms of healthy foods and beverages, as well as practicing sports, and how to keep bodyweight in check. Competitions under the catchphrase "Activate Your Mind” will also be held to motivate participants.
For its part, the Dar Zayed For Family Care (DZFC) organizes a number of initiatives, including one on the best methods for preparing healthy meals during Ramadan, besides a number of sports competitions targeting beneficiary groups residing at the DZFC, while abiding by all relevant precautionary measures, as well as organizing a series of awareness lectures on healthy nutrition and habits.
The Family Development Foundation (FDF) has organized the Barakat Al Dar Club event aimed at enhancing the quality of life of senior citizens by encouraging them to adopt a healthy lifestyle during the holy month, to instill optimism and positivity in them, to provide their families with a skillset that enhances the quality of their relationships with senior citizens, and to provide them with an opportunity to share their life experiences during Ramadan with posterity. The FDF also organized the "100-Day Sports Challenge Program," which aims to promote women's physical and motor fitness through resorting to female fitness trainers and nutritionists who follow up on program participants.
In the same vein, the Authority of Social Contribution (Ma’an) organizes 10 weeks of virtual community competitions to create a positive social impact in the Abu Dhabi society in the long term, support a culture of community cohesion and social contribution, and shed light on how to respond to the current challenges.
Family Cohesion
Abu Dhabi’s social sector is keen on strengthening family cohesion, which is considered a pivotal pillar for ensuring society’s solidarity and inclusion of its members. This theme stems from the belief in the central role played by the family in society, through being responsible for raising children, promoting tolerance, and inculcating commitment and coexistence with others.
A total of 12 initiatives have been fleshed out under this theme—all while heeding the pandemic’s precautionary measures by the agencies responsible for implementation. The FDF is working on a range of family-related programs, including the organization of a forum to promote the quality of family life, the "Ramadan and Eid Blessings" initiative, as well as a multitude of services that the FDF will continue to provide more expansively during Ramadan, to wit: effective parenting skills to promote quality time within the family, marital life license, family awareness and edification, the Child Social Council, and the Al Dar Children and Youth Club.
The DZFC offers initiatives aimed at promoting communication with senior citizens, encouraging people within the same household to have Iftar together, promoting volunteer and philanthropic activities during the holy month, as well as organizing informative and religious competitions for members of the Al Dar Social Club. In the meantime, the Zayed House for Islamic Culture launches an initiative under the banner "Our Homes Are Safe" to broadcast awareness-raising messages that support family cohesion and unity, especially in the category of new reverts to Islam.
Generosity & Tolerance
In Abu Dhabi, the social sector is organizing 22 initiatives under the theme of support, generosity and tolerance. The ADDCD will organize a virtual Ramadan gathering with the aim of promoting social communication among all members of society and putting a number of topics to discussion. Furthermore, the partners involved will present a host of initiatives on the Zayed Humanitarian Work Day, including delivering lectures and organizing contests that uphold and inculcate the values of generosity and tolerance.
With regard to support for eligible groups, the Abu Dhabi Social Support Authority will be distributing meals under the banner "Al Mir Al Ramadani" to families benefiting from the Abu Dhabi Social Support Program, which will include a set of basic food items for needy families to meet their basic needs. On the other hand, the Social Welfare and Minors Affairs Foundation has provided foodstuffs to low-income families under its patronage.
Down the same lines, Ma’an organizes the "Together for Every Orphan" fund-raising campaign in Ramadan to support and care for orphans, provide for their educational marriage expenses, as well as provide whatever is necessary for them to secure their independence outside of care homes.
Meanwhile, the Abu Dhabi Shelter and Humanitarian Care Centre (Ewa'a) promotes awareness regarding issues such as violence and abuse from a religious perspective, using awareness-raising messages in tandem with Ramadan.
Finally, the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination also organizes the "Dirham Prevention Initiative" initiative within its Ramadan agenda, drawing participation from special-needs students of various disabilities and age groups, along with their families. The initiative centers on inserting one dirham into a piggybank made by the students themselves on every day of Ramadan until the end of the month, after which these contributions are given to the Red Crescent Society of the UAE to support the needy. The initiative is aimed at instilling the values of giving and generosity among citizens with special needs, and to promote the values of cooperation and helping others.