Over 1,200 employee volunteers participated in Dubai Chamber’s Give & Gain Week 2019, dedicating 4,700 hours and benefitting 1,200 individuals in the process.

The week-long event held on April 7^th-11^th was organised for the ninth consecutive year as part of the Chamber’s Engage Dubai corporate volunteering programme in line its efforts to support the Year of Tolerance.

A total of 26 companies and 18 Community organisations participated in this year’s Give and Gain activities, while projects focused on key areas that are central to the Year of Tolerance such as diversity and inclusion, education, environment, people of determination and blue-collar workers, in addition to humanitarian education and work. Moreover, all these projects were aligned with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Volunteering activities included job shadowing, tree planting, recycling, working with people of determination, hosting a career fair and participating in a beach clean-up. Volunteers used their teaching, mentoring, computer technical and practical skills to support these efforts.

For his part, Dr. Belaid Rettab, Senior Director of the Economic Research & Sustainable Business Development Sector at Dubai Chamber, noted that the annual Give & Gain Week provides a platform for companies and their employees to give back to their communities and maximise their social impact, adding that the initiative fosters a culture of volunteerism within Dubai’s business community, and underscores the importance of involving businesses and employees in initiatives which serve the greater good and help them build their relations with the communities around them.

Launched in 2008 by Dubai Chamber’s Centre for Responsible Business, ENGAGE Dubai is a programme which brings together businesses and community organisations in Dubai to increase the quality and amount of employee community engagement in their local communities.