The Samerai Foundation Rings in the New Year by Donating Gifts to the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children 

Dr Ahmed Samerai , has presented the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children (DFWAC) with a selection of presents and educational toys to mark the holiday season.

Working to address domestic violence, human trafficking and child abuse in the UAE, the DFWAC offers support, protection and a safe haven for victims, not only helping those who live at their housing unit in Al Aweer, but also creating awareness among the wider community about the impact of abuse on women and children and how to prevent it.

Dr Ahmed Samerai, Founder of the Samerai Foundation, personally handed over the gifts to Her Excellency, Afra Al Basti, Director General of the Dubai Foundation for Women and Children: “The stories are heartbreaking, but through their exceptional work, Her Excellency and her committed team lessen the burden on those who are suffering most by giving them practical support, help and guidance,” he said.

The DFWAC are guided by the vision of creating a society free of violence and offer services that are in complete accordance with international human rights obligations.

Dr Samerai added: “We are delighted to be able to contribute to this Foundation and the excellent work they do. We are all human; we are not perfect and we continue learning. We endeavour to share what little experience we have with others. We don’t stop giving these little things, because what we have learnt is that those little things can often have a far greater impact on a person’s life than you can imagine.”

In partnership with global charity Bicycles For Humanity, the Ahmed Samerai and Ben Stiller Foundation donated 1,500 bicycles to Uganda.

The mobility a bicycle provides allows people to travel greater distances in a shorter length of time and transport much more weight – this means children can go to school more easily; families can access vital healthcare more quickly; and enterprising villagers can take their goods to further markets, generating a higher income and raising living standards.

The Bicycle Empowerment Model concept also creates many jobs centred on servicing and supporting bicycles, creating a new village ‘micro-economy’.

The subject of bike donations inspired Ahmed Samerai to produce his first video documentary, via Sahara Productions. One Yellow Bike tells the story of how a bicycle travelled by stormy ship and treacherous road from Dubai to the remote village of Abim. The film premiered at Reel Cinemas, in Dubai Mall, to much acclaim.

To date, the foundation has worked with a number of charities and foundations regionally and internationally. Our wide ranging global projects include the following deserving causes:

• The Mulligan Project
• The David Lynch Foundation
• The Lower Eastside Girls Club Community Center
• The Forever Dream Foundation
• The Rush Philanthropic Arts Foundation
• Greenpeace International
• Children Mending Hearts
• Lifeline New York
• Tulane University
• Alliance of Resident Theatres
• Save Our Gulf
• Sarah Jane Brain Project
• American University of Sharjah
• Rashid Summer Camp
• Clinton Foundation (Decade of Difference) programme

The foundation has directly supported underprivileged children’s educational fees in the Middle East, for many years. The Samerai Foundation also provides occasional support for The Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Centre for Human Rights, which engages in long-term partnerships with human rights activists who have won the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award to initiate and support sustainable social justice.

The Samerai Foundation was heavily involved between 2004 – 2014 with UAE-based charity Friends of Cancer Patients Society (FOCP), which offers support and advice to local cancer victims and their families. FCOP is an invaluable volunteer-based foundation operating as a specialised entity under the umbrella of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs in Sharjah. Since its founding, FOCP has been able to provide financial and emotional support to over 500 patients across the UAE. The charity provides guidance in the form of practical, financial, moral, educational and medical support for cancer patients and loved ones affected by cancer.

The charity strongly believes in programmes that encourage and promote early detection in order to improve cancer outcome and survival.

Over the last decade FOCP has developed relationships across government, private sectors and NGOs, providing a platform of positive collaboration and exchange of knowledge, information, resources and professional skills. In April 2011, the Samerai Foundation sponsored the ‘Pink Caravan – Riding for Courage’ campaign. The 330km horseback ride, to raise awareness about breast cancer, also saw 20 areas across the UAE being visited, with more than 10 mobile medical clinics set up for screenings and examinations. More than 1,000 women were educated about the dangers of the illness and the importance of early detection by this campaign. In total , the Samerai Foundation has sponsored various services for FOCP, accumulating to a total worth of services to the amount of around US$400,000

In 2012, the Samerai Foundation co-established the Halabi Foundation with Lebanese pop star Dana Halabi in response to the crisis brought about by the Arab Spring.

The Halabi Foundation established programmes for children affected by the loss of one or more close relatives during the conflicts. The programme’s schedule included teaching children art, hairstyling, and music.

While many of the children continue to live in refugee camps (especially those on the Syrian-Lebanese border), the Halabi Foundation helped arrange for graduates of these courses to work in nearby salons and art shops, filling the children’s time and enabling them to earn some money to support their affected families.

Dana Halabi says: “The region is undergoing radical changes and children are being subjected to scenes of extreme violence every day, with great detrimental impact on their intellectual, social life and development, as well as their future ability to integrate into civil society.

“Through this foundation, we seek to help children by developing and nurturing their talents,” she added.

In the last few years, the Samerai Foundation’s various sponsored services have totaled around US$100,000.

Since 2011, the Sahara Foundation has taken great pride in founding and sponsoring an English football charity day – the SAHARA London Legends Cup.

This fun day out in the name of a good cause sees former premier league English footballers compete with our very own Sahara Foundation.

Legendary former players such as Zola, Paul Merson and Roy Hodgson have participated in the tournament to date.
In 2014 teams from Arsenal, West Ham, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspurs played for the Sahara GCC cup. All funds raised went to the Bobby Moore Fund, Cancer Research UK and Help For Heroes.