- Throughout 2020, Ma’an launched 14 new initiatives empowering communities across Abu Dhabi
- Ma’an has launched 30 social enterprises throughout the year, strengthening the third sector within the emirate.
- More than AED 1billion was raised to support through in-kind and financial donations to those affected by the pandemic in 2020.
- Ma’an has worked with more than 40 partners across various industries to help make its programmes strong and successful.
Abu Dhabi, UAE, 29 December 2020: The Authority of Social Contribution – Ma’an has praised residents and citizens of Abu Dhabi for its cohesion and collaboration through a difficult year, but urges the public that there is huge potential for further innovation and action in 2021.
Driven by a commitment to social impact, Ma’an pushes the boundaries of social innovation, addressing priority social challenges and launching pioneering programmes, which placed Abu Dhabi on a global stage during 2020.
Ma’an empowered and enabled communities to actively participate and contribute back to society and developing and implementing inventive solutions, which focused on the root causes of social challenges.
Launching a total of 14 new programmes this year alone including Ma’an’s Contribution Platform, four Ma’an Social Incubator cohorts, one Accelerator cycle, Community Volunteers, Ghaya – the financial literacy programme and the Grants Programme, Ma’an has created its legacy in Abu Dhabi, driving social innovation and a culture of social contribution to address social priorities.
A vast number of key beneficiaries were supported through the year via the creative programmes including People of Determination, mental wellbeing, social start-ups and enterprises looking to build and grow, UAE Nationals looking to become more financially literate and not-for-profits to receive contributions to develop strong, active and connected communities.
The year’s most significant impact was achieved through Ma’an’s ‘Together We Are Good’ programme, which benefited 400,000 raising more than AED 1 billion worth of in-kind and financial contributions for those affected by the health and economic challenges.
During the year, Ma’an has worked with a number of international speakers and experts to provide a global perspective, such as Ma’an’s social innovation platform, The Exchange. The four-week programme offered more than 87 workshops and talk sessions, hosted by international speakers and attracted more than 1,500 visitors including His Highness Sheikh Khalid bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Member of the Executive Council and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Office.
In line with the Department of Community Development’s initiative to promote a culture of volunteering, Ma’an has launched a number of programmes to help support and encourage members of Abu Dhabi’s society to volunteer. The first is “Fit Fam”, which focused on People of Determination and their physical health. The second is the “Community Volunteer” programme, which involved volunteers from government departments to support their communities.
Ma’an also launched the GCC’s first ever Social Impact Bond, working with partners Aldar Properties, Aldar Education and ZHO on the pioneering ATMAH programme. With still five months to go, the project has already fostered successful highlights including strong feedback from the families and curriculum provider.
Her Excellency Salama Al Ameemi, Director General of Ma’an, said: “2020 is a year that will stand out in history forever. At Ma’an, it is our benchmark to prove that despite global challenges, we can reach our goals, enabling responsible non-for-profits and social enterprises to contribute to the development of strong, active and connected communities.
“The world Ma’an envisions is one of collaborative communities. We understand that big global challenges won’t fade on their own, so we need to be united to solve them. Building thriving communities is more than a future goal to work towards – the global pandemic reminds us that strengthening our community is an urgent priority. It’s a shared responsibility for each and every one of us and Ma’an is here to activate all parts of society to strengthen our communities. We are by the community, for the community and we welcome you to join us.”
Her Excellency Salama Al Ameemi, Director General of Ma’an has achieved strong recognition both regionally and internationally, having been invited to speak at high-profile events, panels and exhibitions including Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, FinTech, UNGA2020 with Goals House, Global Goals and Freuds and at a lecture with the Bahr Al Thaqafa Foundation.
She was also selected as the only representative from the Middle East to be invited to be on the international Policy Advisory Group, as a key policymaker within Ma’an to undertake a global systematic review to explore the details that outcomes-based contacting approaches deliver improved impact compared to more conventional funding arrangements, led by UK Government Outcomes Lab (GO Lab) at the University of Oxford and Ecorys.
Today, Abu Dhabi is a better place than before thanks to the co-operation and creativity of everyone, but the potential for more is out there. Together with Ma’an’s future-focused programmes and the spirit of the emirate, the dream of a collaborative community is within touching distance.
Please see the full video in this link