Fatima was only 8 months old when her parents took her to have her hearing checked as she did not seem to be responding to sounds or even loud noises. After several tests, the doctors confirmed that she suffered from severe hearing loss.

Fatima’s parents were devastated to realise that their daughter would go through her life without hearing their voices and worried about the difficulties she would face throughout her life without the gift of hearing to support her.

After the use of a hearing aid had failed, hope came when the doctor recommended the cutting-edge cochlear implant that works to restore a young child’s hearing so that they can grow up to hear and speak similar to other children.

Unfortunately, the cochlear implant was very expensive, but Fatima’s parents were determined to give her the best solution possible. They appealed to Al Jalila Foundation for help and were rewarded with support and Fatima underwent the implant surgery in August 2022. In 4 short months Fatima is able to hear much of the world around her and is even pronouncing many words without having yet attended the speech therapy classes.

Fatima’s parents are in awe of her progress and beyond grateful for the support. “We cannot thank Al Jalila Foundation enough for the support you have given our daughter. Fatima has been given the gift of hearing and she will be able to live a full life with sound and music.”

Through a culture of corporate social responsibility amongst employees Dubai Duty Free has impacted many people both globally and locally. Dubai Duty Free Foundation aims to raise funds for charitable causes with a particular interest in programs that benefit children.

Al Jalila Foundation has been a grateful beneficiary of Dubai Duty Free since 2017 when they pledged AED 5 million to support our Ta’alouf Training Program to benefit children of determination and invest in medical research. Through AED 500,000 donated annually over the course of 10 years, Al Jalila Foundation has already graduated 1020 parents and teachers from 16 cohorts of Ta’alouf Training program to empower caregivers of children of determination and invested in several vital research studies.

In appreciation for their amazing contributions, Al Jalila Foundation was delighted to welcome Dubai Duty Free to Al Jalila Foundation to engrave their name on Bassmat Rashid Bin Saeed donor recognition wall taking their place amongst other pioneers of hope.

Dubai Duty Free CEO and Executive Vice Chairman Colm McLoughlin commented on the recognition, “We have been supporting Al Jalila Foundation since 2017 and we are honoured to support the organisation’s mission to advance medical research in the UAE. Today more than ever, we need to safeguard the health and safety of our people and continue to maintain the values of philanthropy.”

Marriott has been a long-standing partner of Al Jalila Foundation who continuously innovates and amplifies their efforts through various campaigns to support our healthcare programs.

Every year Marriott motivates their employees to raise funds to support children in need of treatment in the region. 2022 was no exception with the annual ‘Road to Awareness’ program once again coming in as a triumphant success raising more than AED 1.8 million to support Al Jalila Foundations ‘Farah’ program that gives hope to sick children and their families.

Every year Marriott is consistent in their support to fight breast cancer through our #PINKtober campaign. In October 2022, 46 Marriott properties across the UAE held innovative fundraising activities and events making an astonishing contribution of more than AED 650,000 to support breast cancer treatment and research.

In addition to Marriott’s incredible activations, participation in charity campaigns and donations, they consistently offer gourmet catering to various events at Majlis Al Amal women’s cancer drop-in centre. The 5-star catering is a welcome treat to the ladies visiting the centre who often express how they feel so pampered and spoiled by the delicious tea selections and healthy menus.

Thanks to Marriott’s generous philanthropic culture, in 2022 alone they have donated over AED 2.5 million to support Al Jalila Foundation and offered delectable catering to more than 10 charity events.

The game of golf has a long history of being a leader in philanthropic contributions and giving to charity is an integral part of the sport. The sport can even be recognised as the leader in charitable giving around the world setting the benchmark for incorporating sports and philanthropy.

The UAE hosts some of the most important tournaments in the world and we have witnessed amazing support from our local golf partners like Dubai Golf. Dubai Golf holds several events and tournaments at Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club and Emirates Golf Club to support Al Jalila Foundation throughout the year. These events range from local club members getting together to support their dedicated cause to world class events featuring the stars of the sport.

These prestigious golf events have not only led to great fundraising but have opened many avenues for other partnerships. Massive, televised events have shown our logo to the world as world famous golfers wear pink in support of breast cancer research in the UAE and beyond. We have even had several star professional golfers visit Al Jalila foundation to donate a portion of their winnings to charity and have their name engraved on Bassmat Rashid Bin Saeed donor recognition wall.

We are grateful and proud of our partnership with Dubai Golf who, since 2015, have raised an astonishing AED 800,000 for Al Jalila Foundation. We look forward to many more years of working together for the greater good of the community.

Due to severe complications which caused atrophy in the brain cells at the time of her birth, Ghala, now 15-years-old had developed an intellectual disability which affects her speech.

Initially Ghala’s mother, Suhad, had concerns if Ghala could live a normal life and have access to all the services available to other children. Suhad took every opportunity to educate herself on how to work with her daughter’s strengths so she could live a full life. Thanks to her mother’s guidance and nurturing, Ghala was included into mainstream school to learn with her peers where she acquired many skills and developed a passion swimming. Suhad’s motto is “We will share happiness together.”

As Ghala grew, Suhad felt she needed to further expand her knowledge in the field of special education. In 2019 she was given the opportunity to enrol in Al Jalila Foundation’s Ta’alouf Parents Training Program which equips parents with the skills to empower their children of determination. Suhad absorbed so much knowledge and developed strong skills from the program which she put to use right away.

“The program helped me so much with a variety of topics particularly the issue of puberty and how to prepare my daughter for this phase. I do not have enough words to thank Al Jalila Foundation for empowering me with greater understanding to support my amazing daughter and for developing my abilities and experience to work with people of determination.”

At Al Jalila Foundation our partnerships are integral to our mission to transform lives. Benefit Cosmetics is one of these valued partners who have held a number of fundraising campaigns to support our healthcare programs.

Globally Benefit, through the Bold is Beautiful program, is dedicated to supporting charities that empower women and girls through education and mentorship, access to wellness and economic self-sufficiency.

Over the past 4 years in the UAE, Benefit has chosen Al Jalila Foundation as their local charity partner and dedicated their CSR initiatives towards funding medical research and supporting breast cancer treatment and support for survivors.

Every year Benefit dedicates a product or a service to be a part of the Bold is Beautiful campaign where the proceeds from the sales are donated to Al Jalila Foundation. Since 2019, Benefit has raised an astonishing AED 610,000 to transform women’s lives in the UAE.

In addition to fundraising, Benefit always comes through with special treats, pampering sessions and goody bags for the wonderful breast cancer survivors who make up the Brest Friends support group and Majlis Al Amal community.

Benefit is a shining example of positive corporate culture where ‘giving back’ is a core value. We are proud of our continued partnership and inspired by their dedication as a global united team making a difference to the lives of women and girls around the world.

As the flagship program, the Ta’alouf Training program has a special place in the heart of Al Jalila Foundation. Ta’alouf focuses on empowering teachers and parents of children of determination to nurture their abilities so they can achieve their full potential.

Teachers across the UAE have experienced major transformation in their classrooms thanks to their participation in the Ta’alouf Teachers Training program.

Ruqaya Al Gburi from Dubai National School in Al Barsha was part of the 7^th Cohort of Ta’alouf Teachers Training, and she is the first to recommend the program to other teachers who are working to embrace inclusivity to support all the children in their classrooms.

“I look back at my time during the Ta’alouf course and can clearly see all of the amazing strategies and skills that I am now equipped with because of the course! It has shifted my mind when teaching students of determination. I highly recommend the course for Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND) teachers.”

To date, in partnership with Zayed University, we are proud to have seen 548 teachers who have grasped the invaluable skills and translated their knowledge to gifted children who have gone on to be creative, empowered and confident young people.

Nothing makes us prouder than when we see these children blossoming and taking every bite out of life and living their dreams.

Jessa was only 33 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The news came as a shock for the young administrative assistant who began to feel hopeless and like this would be the end of the road.

To make matters more difficult, Jessa’s insurance ran out quickly after beginning the treatment plan and she did not know how she was going to be able to fund the remaining medicine that she desperately needed to save her life.

Through the A’awen Giving website, Al Jalila Foundation set up a crowdfunding campaign for Jessa and the community quickly jumped in to help cover her treatment.  The support she received was incredible and soon all the funds were in place for Jessa’s healing journey to continue.

Jessa is now looking forward to the future with a heart filled with hope and appreciation, “After the initial shock, reading stories of other patients inspired me and gave me hope. Thanks to the support of Al Jalila Foundation and all those special people who helped me, I can continue living a normal life despite this disease. My message to those who are newly diagnosed, is that it is normal to feel down at first but we need to fight this battle. ‘Be positive, stay hope-full and lean on friends and family for support.’” 

Today, Jessa’s treatment is working and her pain has greatly reduced. She is following a very healthy diet and exercise plan and living a normal life with less worry, less stress and building stronger connections to her loved ones.