When Melany (39) discovered she had breast cancer, like many others, she was completely overwhelmed by the diagnosis. As she sought the appropriate medical treatment she discovered she was pregnant and despite the disease she was overjoyed to welcome a new baby.

Even as a strong young woman, the treatment plan would not be straight forward as she was now considered a ‘high risk pregnancy’ and her first priority was to protect her baby. In addition to their growing family she had no idea how they would be able to afford the full treatment plan.

Through faithfully researching ways to make it all possible the family found the support they so desperately needed from Al Jalila Foundation and Melany was admitted to Dubai Hospital in mid July where she was able to undergo lifesaving surgery to remove the cancerous tumor. During that same hospital visit, Melany delivered a healthy baby boy through a caesarean section to ensure the newborn’s safety.

Melany’s husband, Eduard, expressed, “On behalf of my whole family I offer much gratitude to Al Jalila Foundation for helping my wife and our baby. The team showed us great compassion and never hesitated to help us in our time of need. We felt comforted by a great family here in UAE. Truly you are a great Foundation with a big heart.”

Melany continues on the road to recovery with her supportive husband and strong baby boy.

11-year-old Raghav Krishna and 8-year-old Madhav Krishna are two inspirational brothers living in Dubai who have a passion to make a difference in the lives of children of determination so they too can live life to the fullest and reach their full potential.

These extraordinary siblings are champions in mental math calculations and prize winners at national and international competition levels and are eager to help others by using their mental calculation skills.

Although 2020 brought many challenges with social distancing these young boys found the ideal platform to use their talents to fulfill their ambition. They set up a YallaGive campaign to raise funds for Al Jalila Foundation’s Ta’alouf (“harmony” in Arabic) program that empowers children of determination by equipping teachers and parents with the necessary skills to enable them to flourish.

Through the online fundraising campaign potential donors can simply set up a virtual meeting with the siblings to pose mathematical questions and the brothers will perform instant calculations. The donors are encouraged to contribute to the charity initiative based on the brothers’ performance.

Their campaign has been so successful that in less than 2 months the brothers have almost reached their fundraising goal of AED 25,000.

To support these little philanthropists, click here.

At birth, baby Antheia was diagnosed with a cleft lip but regardless of the abnormality, her parents were grateful that their daughter was otherwise in good health and did not require any medication.

The doctor who handled the delivery had recommended that baby Antheia receive surgery at the age of 3 months but her parents were overwhelmed both by the cost of the surgery and the restrictions in place that prevented operations of this nature due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

By the age of 6-months the unrepaired cleft lip was causing major health issues for Antheia as food and saliva would drip down, and the competence of the lip muscle was compromised also affecting the nose. An operation was urgently needed so baby Antheia could continue to develop into a healthy young girl.

Having tried every avenue to gain access to the surgery the parents finally wrote to Al Jalila Foundation with their request and were overjoyed when it was confirmed her operation was scheduled at Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital.

Now, 2 months after the operation, baby Antheia is recovering very well; she has a healthy appetite and cheerful disposition that shows off her great big smile.

Sheikh Zayed, the Founding Father of the UAE, was a strong advocate for women and believed that “the woman is half of the society” and should be empowered, respected and developed to contribute equally to the country’s success.

Every year, Al Jalila Foundation joins the nation in celebrating Emirati Women’s Day recognising the accomplishments of women and honouring them for their contributions to the development and advancement of the nation. This year’s theme was “women are the support of the nation”.

Supporting this vision and continually striving to be leader in medical innovation, Al Jalila Foundation invests in the next generation of doctors by offering medical scholarships to Emirati students and research grants to UAE-based scientists. Since 2013, Al Jalila Foundation has supported 44 Emirati women with medical scholarships and awarded 7 pioneering Emirati female scientists with prestigious research and fellowship grants, with an investment of over AED 9 million.

Her Excellency Dr Raja Easa Al Gurg, Chairperson of the Board of Directors, said: “We are thrilled to see so many Emirati women seizing the opportunity to take on leading roles in science and medicine. On this Emirati Women’s Day, we celebrate women’s contributions to the advancement of the UAE and know that by empowering our women, we empower our nation.”

Despite challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic we are very proud that the end of the 2020 academic year saw the graduation of the 6th cohort of Ta’alouf Teachers Training Program comprising of 73 teachers from 23 schools.

Through Ta’alouf Teachers Training Program, in partnership with Zayed University, Al Jalila Foundation equips teachers from public and private schools with skills to broaden inclusivity in their classrooms and empower children of determination.

During these unprecedented times teachers have been remarkable at adapting their skills to teach remotely and ensure that no child is left out. For the first time the Ta’alouf program was delivered with a blended learning approach with face to face sessions and online sessions.

Dr Anna Ferreira, the program lead, said “The 6th cohort participants showed us that UAE teachers are flexible and creative; they meet new challenges with such a positive spirit.”

The program which is delivered in English and Arabic was born out of the principle that every child, no matter their ability, has enormous potential and that potential should be harnessed to empower the child to live a happy and productive life.

To date the Ta’alouf Teachers Training Program has trained 416 educators from 116 schools in the UAE.

By mid-January 2020, 3-year-old Wed had already been to what felt like hundreds of doctor’s appointments. She suffered from severe knee pain as a result of worsening genu varum (bilateral leg deformities or ‘bow legs’).

After visiting Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital, it was apparent that this condition was also affecting her mental health as much as the physical. Young Wed was sad and withdrawn and refused to play with other children.

Although it was clear that surgery would profoundly improve her condition, the family was struggling to proceed due to financial constraints. Wed was referred as a candidate to receive support from Al Jalila Foundation’s A’awen program that supports patients in need and she was able to undergo surgery in March 2020.

Throughout postoperative-care Wed has proven to be an extraordinary young patient who alerts doctors to any discomfort she experiences allowing them to intervene at opportune moments.

Much to Wed’s delight the last x-ray showed her bones have healed nicely and after these few short months her personality has changed completely and the once withdrawn child is an extrovert who enjoys wearing dresses and playing with friends.

Read more about Wed’s life changing story here.

Around the globe sport has proven to be one of the greatest charitable avenues with running holding a strong lead in charitable fundraising and participation.

Although the global pandemic meant many running events were canceled, Dubai resident Ahmed Ali was not about to let that stop him supporting his favourite charity.

Ahmed got creative and initiated the #Eid2EidChallenge to raise funds for Al Jalila Foundation’s paediatric treatment program ‘Farah’ to give hope to sick children. Despite the heat and humidity, Ahmed ran 5 kilometers every day for 67 days from Eid Al Fitr to Eid Al Adha and invited the UAE running community to join him on his quest.

Every day different runners joined him at various locations across Dubai including local celebrity Big Rossi from Virgin Radio. The 5:30 Run club organised a charity run to support Ahmed raising almost AED 5,000.

The #Eid2EidChallenge has raised AED 12,850 with MonViso, Al Jalila Foundation longstanding partner, matching the funds raised.

In addition to this incredible feat, Ahmed is a true inspiration with a long list of humanitarian projects and has been volunteering on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic since mid-March 2020.

Read more about Ahmed’s running challenge here.