Confirming its leading role in supporting community initiatives, Etisalat on Wednesday announced the creation of the Etisalat Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Fund called "Ayaadi" to support UAE community. 

The launch of "Ayaadi" demonstrates Etisalat's ability to excel not only in the telecommunications sector, but also in its social initiatives, which has been a key focus for the Corporation since it was established. The Fund is an offering to the sons and daughters of the UAE, as the celebration of the UAE's 40th National Day approaches, said Omar bin Huraiz, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of "Ayaadi", during a press conference held here in Dubai.

He said "The UAE - in terms of its people and the government - upholds a strong heritage of social and cultural values and Etisalat has embodied this through its strive in supporting hundreds of social campaigns and community projects that positively impact society." "Etisalat has always been active in its involvement in contributing to the community, and has been a close partner in promoting the importance of giving, a strong value which has been engraved by the founding father of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in aiming to build a nation with great expectations and objectives", he added.

The Fund consists of a Board of Trustees that includes Omar bin Huraiz, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Dr. Khalifa Ali Alsuwaidi, Deputy Chairman of the Fund, Jamal Saeed Al Nuaimi, Secretary General, along with members of the board, Nasser Bin Obood Al Falasi, Acting CEO for Etisalat, Lamya Mohamed Sharif, Fadhila Al Maen. Further, Amal Alkoos was appointed as the Fund Director.

Omar bin Huraiz added: "Etisalat's Ayaadi Fund is the focal point for a national social project of significant objectives and expectations. Its strategic objectives aim to participate in achieving sustainable growth for the UAE community through the provision of technology solutions in the education sector and in other sectors in general." Bin Huraiz added: "We give utmost attention to the education sector as we believe it most significantly impacts the future of the nation and its development. Investing long-term in human resources is most rewarding, and education is of key importance within communities. In addition, the fund also aims to support the sectors of health, the environment and community development, by offering technical support and cooperating with ministries and bodies to launch joint programmes of a social dimension." Dr. Khalifa Ali Alsuwaidi praised this initiative from Etisalat and said: "The idea behind launching this fund is to organise community work and establish a system and process that governs social welfare with the aim of boosting the value of these sponsorships, maximizing the benefits for the UAE community. This will enable Ayaadi officials to measure the effectiveness of the way funds are allocated, in order to best serve the community." Meanwhile Fadhila Al Maeni pointed out that the UAE demographic predominantly consists of younger people, in particularly those under the age of 20, and therefore communicating with this demographic must be through techniques and educational tools that they themselves use. She stated that supporting the youth is a priority of the "Ayaadi" Fund.

Jamal al Nuami said: "The role of the board of trustees is to put together a strategy for the Ayaadi Fund and its social initiatives, and to communicate with the local communities in order to raise awareness of the Fund and its objectives." Amal Alkoos, Fund Director, said: "The youth will be the key focus of the Fund and will work closely with the Emirati community in general to help solve issues, under the umbrella of current government initiatives. In addition, we will work closely with the Ministry of Education and non-profit organisations to plan and execute projects and realise the objectives of the fund."