It gives me great pleasure to welcome our readers to this site, and I hope that 2016 will carry forward more positive events and successes, achieved in 2015. Last year witnessed many tragic global events including the refugee crisis from the Middle East to Europe spawned by the events in Syria, and civilian casualties remain at the forefront of our thoughts and prayers.
As part of my work, on behalf of the Samerai Foundation, I have travelled across continents and witnessed the tragedies that are never more so in greater need of the vital work that charities and philanthropy can offer in alleviating some of the world’s most troubled regions. That said, global foundations still have an enormous way to go before we can reach even a fraction of those in need across the world.
As part of our efforts to bring much needed visibility to the plight of our fellow human beings, in 2015, the Samerai Foundation has continued to place itself firmly at the forefront of launching aid programmes that seek to provide and promote education and health-related initiatives for adults and children in the most desperate of situations.
One of the most heart-warming projects the Samerai Foundation was involved with, in 2014, was the “One Yellow Bike” initiative. Inspired by a young girl living in Dubai, who donated her bicycle to help communities in Uganda, the Samerai Foundation and the Ben Stiller Foundation teamed up to promote awareness of the situation in the East African state by filming a short documentary of the journey of “One Yellow Bike”, from its donor in Dubai to a community in Abim. 1,500 bicycles have since been donated, providing communities with access to simple yet effective transportation. One immediate benefit being that it allows children to traverse greater distances more quickly, in order to be able to attend school. I invite you to watch the documentary, available free on YouTube, to learn more.
Of course, the Samerai Foundation is no stranger to producing high-quality documentaries that support, add value, and reflect the good work being done in affected communities across the globe. We feel that these documentaries not only highlight the work we do to a wider audience, but also provide a means to both raise awareness for potential sponsors and for those in need to reach out and contact us.
Each day, I am heartened by the ground-swell of support we, at the Samerai Foundation, see growing across communities across the world, wanting to make a difference for the disadvantaged.
While social media and other new technologies provide ever more and innovative vehicles for people to show and lend their support for good causes, funding remains an ever-present obstacle in delivering the aid and the available human resources to activate the initiatives.
While we fully understand that our foundation is one of many with endeavours to make small improvements wherever we can, we are never downbeat about even the smallest help we can provide and I am extremely proud of those who both dedicate their time and energy to working with us.
Sometimes, in the face of a seemingly daunting challenge and adversity, all it takes is to see a smile from someone we have helped to know we must keep up the good work.
Dr Ahmed Samerai