UAE equips community volunteering as weapon against COVID-19

Nahla Abdelmonem

In light of the worsening coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis, the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention has announced that it is currently training around 535 volunteers to support the UAE’s medical system, as part of a range of national awareness, training and prevention initiatives that aim to reduce the spread of the novel pandemic.

Dr. Farida Al Hosani, Official Spokesperson of the UAE Health Sector, stated that the ministry is currently conducting training programs for volunteers around the country, which involve different sectors that support the medical system, such as contact centers, quarantine centers, hospitals and various sterilization facilities.

Emirati volunteer institutions and programs are providing a variety of community and development needs, such as the National Volunteer Program for Emergencies, Crises and Disasters, emergency response initiatives, and the “Volunteering Incubators System”.

One of these initiatives aimed at serving the elderly, providing them with their needs such as food and medicine, to avoid going out and get exposed to the COVID-19 danger.

These initiatives demonstrate the extent to which the state, led by a wise leadership, holds standards for human and service volunteering and those who carry it out because of its high community values.

The UAE’s community is exerting much effort to also raise awareness among young citizens and children about the COVID-19 threat to their country and the whole world and what each of them can do to help stopping the spread of the virus.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, has called on Emiratis and residents to volunteer in a new campaign called Your City Needs You.

“My message to everyone is to volunteer to join the dedicated teams that are working round-the-clock to protect our community,” said Sheikh Hamdan on Twitter.

“This is part of our social responsibility and our duty to help safeguard the welfare of society.”

People can volunteer through the Day for Dubai app, which connects them to opportunities offered by the Dubai Health Authority or the Watani Al Emarat Foundation.

In his call for volunteers, Sheikh Hamdan paid tribute to medical personnel on the front line of the fight for the community’s health and well-being.

“Our aim is to ensure the highest levels of protection against the global pandemic we are facing and support the government’s efforts to combat it,” he said.