Global Women’s Forum Dubai helps educate over 1000 girls

As part of Al Manal Humanitarian Initiative's "Step Up For Girls' Education" campaign, which was announced ahead of the Global Women's Forum Dubai to support Dubai Cares, part of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, particularly the organisation's girls' education programmes in developing countries, 3,000 participants downloaded the Forum App and walked a combined 3.7 million steps over two days, providing education for over 1,000 underprivileged girls around the world for one year.

The campaign was launched during the Global Women's Forum Dubai by Al Manal Humanitarian Initiative, which reflects H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's commitment and firm belief in the importance of activating humanitarian work at a local, regional and international level, in addition to highlighting the importance of sharing social responsibility across various sectors of the community. This is the prime objective behind the establishment of the Al Manal Humanitarian Initiative in 2013, which has since been working to organise activities and programmes to serve different issues in society, including education, health, nutrition, child and family, as well as social and awareness initiatives.

Lamia Abdulaziz Khan, Project Director of the Global Women's Forum Dubai and Director of Dubai Ladies Club, said, "Aside from providing unique opportunities for regional and international thought-leaders to come together and engage in new discussions for the advancement of gender balance and female engagement, the Global Women's Forum Dubai has also made a tangible difference to the lives of over 1,000 underprivileged girls by supporting Dubai Cares girls' education programmes around the world. This will allow girls to arm themselves with the skills and capabilities required to develop further and participate.

She continued, "The launch of this initiative during the Global Women's Forum Dubai supports H.H. Sheikha Manal bint Mohammed's vision and belief in the social impact that events like this can create, and reaffirms how crucial it is for every individual to fulfil their social responsibility to those who are less fortunate. I'd like to say a big thank you to all of the Global Women's Forum Dubai participants who downloaded the app and supported this campaign to drive gender parity forward across the globe."

Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares, said, "The Global Women's Forum Dubai gave us an opportunity to highlight the UAE's ongoing social responsibility efforts. Through our cooperation with Al Manal Humanitarian Initiative, we were able to spotlight the suffering of many less fortunate girls in a number of countries across the world, whilst providing them with the chance to build a better life and future. We thank H.H. Sheikha Manal for supporting our existing girls' education programmes through this campaign."

The Global Women's Forum Dubai App featured a pedometer which allowed attendees to track the number of steps taken at the forum over the two days. The app gave each person an achievable target of 3,500 steps, to educate a girl for one year. During Global Women's Forum Dubai, participants were able to view a live step counter on various screens across the venue, showcasing the number of collective steps taken by the total number attendees who downloaded the app.