Brest Friends in partnership with Al Jalila Foundation presents the first annual Brest Friends Festival, a fun filled community event in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The festival to be held on Friday, 27 October 2017 from 8am to 8pm at Al Barsha Pond Park will host a series of wellness activities, a walk for hope, food trucks, a market and various entertainment bringing residents and organisations together to support a cause that affects millions of women around the world.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month is an international health campaign every October to increase awareness of the disease and raise funds for research into its cause, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure.

The Brest Friends Festival is expected to draw a crowd of over 2000 people who will take part in the health and wellness initiative with all proceeds from the event going to support patients with breast cancer and funding vital medical research in the UAE. The festival’s primary aim is to raise awareness on the importance of early detection and give hope to breast cancer patients and convey the message that that the disease can be beaten – that there is life after cancer.

It is estimated that one in eight women will develop breast cancer during their life, making it among the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women.  In the UAE, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women and with the average age of diagnoses 10 years younger than elsewhere in the world.

Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama, Chief Executive Officer of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “With the high prevalence of breast cancer among women in the UAE, it is clear that research and improved treatment are integral to combating the disease and ultimately, saving lives. Historically there has been little medical research on breast cancer done locally. In line with Al Jalila Foundation’s mission to encourage home-grown talent and boost medical research, we have already invested almost AED 2 million towards breast cancer research since 2014. Events like the Brest Friends Festival help us spread awareness on the importance of research and enable everyone to make a contribution to the future health of the UAE.”

Brest Friends, the first breast cancer support group in the UAE, was established by Dr Houriya Kazim, the UAE’s first female surgeon, with the mission to save lives by increasing awareness of breast cancer and providing a platform where patients and survivors can learn, share experiences and offer moral and emotional support to each other which has proven to be instrumental in a woman’s healing process.

Dr Houriya Kazim, President and Founder of Brest Friends, commented: “We have all been affected by breast cancer in some way, the Brest Friends Festival is an opportunity to bring the community together to honour breast cancer patients, survivors and remember the people we have lost. It is also a day to give hope that the disease can be beaten. As the month draws to an end, I would like to remind everyone that breast cancer awareness should not be limited to the month of October and call on the community to keep the message alive all-year round. I can not emphasize enough the importance of early detection, do not wait until October to take action.”

The festival will kick off with a 1.5km walk around the park led by Emirati Fitness and Dubai Drums alongside Al Jalila Foundation and Brest Friends. The walk will be followed by wellness activities including exercise zones offering complimentary classes throughout the day like Yoga, Pilates, Zumba, spinning sessions and much more. For the kids there will be water slides, inflatables and a soft play area. Families can enjoy the food trucks, local vendors and an organic farmers market with various delicacies.

The Brest Friends Festival is supported by Links Group, Emirates NBD, Dhamani, Dubai Stars, Bee’ah, Mediclinic, Masafi, Halza, Grand Millennium Hotel and Elabelz.com.

The activities will be conducted by Fitness Partners including Switch DXB, NRG Fitness, Motion, Rebel Fitness, Dubai Yoga, KO8, Yoga Retreats, Box IQ and Emirati Fitness.

Registration for the event is AED 50 for adults and free for children under the age of 12. All proceeds from the event go to supporting breast cancer patients.

For registration and more information about the festival please visit http://brestfriendsfestival.com/

Al Jalila Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and research, hosted the second MENA SEN Conference in partnership with the Dubai SEN Network. The special education needs conference brought together over 250 counsellors, educators and social workers from the UAE to exchange ideas and best practices on special education needs.  The key objective of the conference was to discuss best practice and identify SEN improvements in the UAE.

The two day conference held at Dubai Healthcare City hosted over 30 experts with a rich understanding of Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) across the Middle East.  The workshops, presentations and discussions focused on current issues surrounding mental health and Special Educational Needs in the UAE including behavioural difficulties, dyslexia and anxiety.

The highlight of the conference was a session by Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) about initiatives and provisions for students with special education needs and disabilities in Dubai.

Al Jalila Foundation, through the flagship program Ta’alouf, is one of the forerunners in promoting social inclusion in the UAE. Ta’alouf funds educational courses to equip parents with life-changing skills that enable them to better support their children’s individual needs and empower teachers with knowledge and skills to further broaden their understand and practice of inclusive education. Since its launch in 2013, Ta’alouf has graduated 134 teachers and 420 parents.

Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama, Chief Executive Officer of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “The UAE government is making great strides in inclusiveness and our Ta’alouf program is well aligned with the National Strategy to Empower People of Determination. With this second MENA SEN Conference it is clear that this strategy is fully embraced by educators and the discussion and eagerness today to move forward is inspiring. ”

“Every child has unique characteristics, interests, abilities and learning needs – and education systems and programmes should be designed to take into account the wide diversity of their individual needs.”

Fatma Belrehif, CEO of Dubai Schools Inspection Bureau (DSIB) at Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said, “Dubai aspires to be a fully inclusive city by 2020 and we believe inclusive education is at the heart of effective education. When we improve the quality of inclusion within our schools we improve education for all. Our aim is to encourage all schools to continue providing a safe, supportive and engaging learning environment for learners with special educational needs and disabilities.”

Dubai SEN Network, established in January 2015, has grown rapidly in a few short years to bring together more than eight hundred special educational needs coordinators, specialist teachers and learning support assistants. Their mission is to offer teachers a support network, and to bring the issue of special needs and inclusive education to the attention of policymakers. The network works closely with experts in their fields, from a range of centres and clinics, to ensure a wealth of connections and services are available across the region.

Rachel Green, Founding Member of Dubai SEN Network, said: “Special education needs are evidently becoming a focal point for policy makers and we are encouraged that our efforts to bring educators together in unity are paying off. The support that teachers receive today encouraging inclusion in classrooms is invaluable. Thanks to organisations like Al Jalila Foundation progress in this area has developed enormously over the past few years and we can see a real transformation in classrooms. We are excited to realise the outcomes from educators’ attendance at the MENA SEN Conference 2017 being put into action.”

Conference delegates had the opportunity to choose from over 20 seminars, 9 workshops. Themes covered during the 2-day programme included behavioural, social and emotional; early years; interventions; learning difficulties and the influence of English as an additional language. The conference inspired the engaging exchange of ideas and insights across a range of curricula.

The school and community exhibition featured more than 19 organisations showcasing best practices in schools as well as specialized services available in the UAE. Among the exhibitors was Enable, Desert Group’s agricultural social enterprise, which provides training opportunities and employment for individuals with special needs. Enable demonstrates the importance of post-secondary opportunities for people with special needs a critical issue as the large youth population transitions into adulthood.

The conference was sponsored by ATIC, kidsFIRST Medical Center and Maudsley Health Abu Dhabi.

Al Jalila Foundation, in partnership with The Carter Center, announced two UAE recipients of the 2017-2018 Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism program. Selected from a pool of highly competitive applicants, the two Emiratis join the 21st annual class and 200 journalists who have been awarded the fellowships to date from around the world. The program is the first mental health fellowship program for journalists in the Middle East, launched in 2016 in the UAE by Al Jalila Foundation with two journalism fellows.

Her Excellency Dr Raja Easa Al Gurg, Chairperson of the Board of Directors and Member of the Board of Trustees of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “Journalists have immense power to inform, educate and influence society. Their support is essential to raise awareness and create a dialogue about mental health in the region. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that people with mental illness are not marginalized and that they receive the required support to live happy productive lives.”

Mental illnesses are among the most common health conditions in the world, yet sensationalized news coverage or underreporting of these issues can perpetuate myths and misconceptions and discourage people from seeking effective treatment.

“These fellows can reshape how media in the Middle East covers one of the most significant, misunderstood public health problems. Like the fellows before them, they will likely impact their colleagues and newsrooms, and become the point person in their field on mental health issues,” said former US First Lady Rosalynn Carter.

The Carter Center provides training, mentorship, evaluation tools, and technical assistance to Al Jalila Foundation to develop a sustainable and tailored program in the UAE.  Al Jalila Foundation manages the program in the UAE and is responsible for the selection of journalists and adapting the program to meet the needs of the Emirates.

Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama, Chief Executive Officer of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “It is a huge privilege to partner with The Carter Center to continue the incredible work that former United States First Lady Rosalynn Carter has done to combat the stigma associated with mental illness. This is the second year that we have offered the mental health journalism program in the UAE and we look forward to working with the new fellows to initiate positive conversations on mental health to overcome the cycle of stigma.”

The UAE program is overseen by an Advisory Board which is chaired by Al Jalila Foundation and comprised of distinguished business professionals and experts in the field of mental health and journalism from a number of organisations including Emirates News Agency (WAM), Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital, Al Ansari Exchange, Al Bayan newspaper, Zayed University and the UAE Federal Government.

The Advisory Board provides guidance to develop a more informed cadre of Emirati journalists that inform the public about mental health issues. The board helps raise awareness in the community and contributes to raising the happiness index of the UAE through a selection of initiatives and campaigns for mental health.

Since the Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism were established in 1996, fellows have produced more than 1500 stories, documentaries, books, and other works during and after their fellowship year. Their projects have garnered Emmy Awards, nominations for the Pulitzer Prize, and other awards.

The 2017-2018 recipients of the UAE Rosalynn Carter Fellowships for Mental Health Journalism are:

Iman Ben Chaibah

CEO and Editor-in-Chief (Founder)

Sail Publishing and Sail Magazine

Dubai, UAE

Project: A study on mental health issues among UAE youth and to disseminate information on why and how to support people who suffer from mental illnesses.

Nahid Mubarak Khamis Faraj Alawani Alnaqbi

Senior Reporter

Albayan Newspaper

Sharjah, UAE

Project: Explore why the treatment of mental illnesses remains shrouded in fear and misconception in the UAE and how to reduce mental health stigma.

For more information please visit www.aljalilafoundation.ae.

Al Jalila Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation whose mission is to transform lives through medical education and research, and Monviso, Dubai’s premier Italian Alpine mineral water, have partnered in the “Take Water. Give Life” initiative to raise funds for Al Jalila Foundation’s lifesaving humanitarian work.

“Take Water. Give Life” – an original sales donation programme designed by Monviso especially and exclusively for Al Jalila Foundation – donates 1 AED to Al Jalila Foundation for every 1 liter sold by programme participants. These include participating retailers, hospitality venues, sports clubs, and includes online orders placed directly on the Monviso website. The humanitarian programme also has a sustainability aspect: Monviso will collect and recycle the empty plastic bottles from various locations, then sell the recycled plastic and donate its net returns to Al Jalila Foundation.

From 1 January 2017 to 30 June 2017, Monviso has donated the equivalent of 59,286 liters (59,286 AED in donations) to support Al Jalila Foundation’s goal to save lives. Programme adoption is growing rapidly, with 40 of organizations in 10 sectors already participating.

Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, Chief Executive Officer, Al Jalila Foundation said: “‘Take Water, Give Life’ is the brainchild of Monviso and a great example of how creative partnerships and initiatives deliver sustainable charitable revenues. We encourage the community to support our partnership with Monviso as such programmes will further empower Al Jalila Foundation to achieve its mission to transform patients’ lives through medical research.”

Stefano Iorini, Monviso CEO said: “Water being a vital source of life, we wish to do something remarkable with Monviso for the years to come by partnering with Al Jalila Foundation to support their mission to save lives. We are proud to announce that the initiative has won the official endorsement of Dubai Sport Council, which is partnering with us to propose it to all sports events in Dubai and all clubs that operate under the Council’s authority.”

The initiative’s objective is to attract as many participating institutions, companies, clinics, sport academies, and individuals as possible and to turn a simple essential like water into the driver for something big and a force for doing good – to unite people around one cause.

To be in line with Dubai’s vision to be the smartest city in the world, “Take Water. Give Life” is supported by the Monviso mobile app where online orders can be placed very conveniently. If giving were made easier and integrated into people’s lifestyles, most people would be more charitable, and this is exactly what “Take Water. Give Life” does.

Al Jalila Foundation today announced that The Indian High School in Dubai has pledged AED 500,000 to support its healthcare programmes.

Present at the occasion were Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation; Mr Sunil Umrao, Honorary Chairman of The Indian High School; Dr Ashok Kumar, CEO of The Indian High School and members of the Management Committee, senior School Leaders and Student Council members of The Indian High School in Dubai.

Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama said: “We are delighted by the commitment and generosity extended by The Indian High School. This partnership is further testament to the support that the Indian community in Dubai has devoted to Al Jalila Foundation. We value their patronage and investment and look forward to seeing the impact of our collective efforts to improve lives through medical education and research.”

The support from The Indian High School echoes the values of the UAE Year of Giving as announced by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to foster and strengthen a sense of social responsibility across the public and private sectors.

Dr Ashok Kumar said: “To commemorate the month of Ramadan and the Year of Giving we have partnered with Al Jalila Foundation to support their healthcare programmes. Our contribution is a token of our commitment to support the meaningful work carried out by Al Jalila Foundation. We look forward to making a difference to the lives of people, together.”

Al Jalila Foundation is a global philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and research. It was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, to position the UAE at the forefront of medical innovation.

For more information please visit www.aljalilafoundation.ae.

Al Jalila Foundation today announced that it has received a donation of AED 3 million from Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) to support its A’awen (treatment in Arabic) program which helps patients in need.

Al Jalila Foundation through its A’awen program provides support, treatment and medical care to patients in the UAE who are unable to afford quality treatment. Since its inception in 2013, Al Jalila Foundation has supported more than 208 patients, including 62 children, from 29 nationalities with a number of chronic illnesses and life-threatening conditions.

DIB’s support echoes the values of the UAE Year of Giving as announced by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, to foster and strengthen a sense of social responsibility across the public and private sectors, in addition to developing the spirit of volunteering and service to the nation.

Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, Chief Executive Officer, Al Jalila Foundation, said:  “We are extremely grateful to Dubai Islamic Bank for its longstanding support to our A’awen program that offers hope and healing to patients in need of medical care. It is a privilege to work with distinguished banking and financial institutions like DIB to help deliver the UAE’s vision to be one of the happiest nations in the world.”

In its efforts to be a leader in medical innovation, Al Jalila Foundation works closely with healthcare partners to develop special treatment programs that meet the needs of patients. It also invests in local medical research to discover better treatment options for future generations.

Abdul Razzaq Al Abdullah, Head of Community Services Department, Dubai Islamic Bank, said: “Dubai Islamic Bank is a long term supporter of Al Jalila Foundation and we are honored to be able to support the Foundation’s mission to make a difference in people’s lives. This donation demonstrates the pioneering role of Dubai Islamic Bank to serve the UAE community to lead happier lives.”

Al Jalila Foundation is a global philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and research. It was launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, to position the UAE at the forefront of medical innovation.

For more information please visit www.aljalilafoundation.ae.