In November 2018 one-year-old Youssef was diagnosed with a right retinoblastoma, a rare form of eye cancer that had grown to a become a mass lesion in the right eye globe. The following month he underwent enucleation to remove the eye and the surgery was followed by chemotherapy treatment for 6 months.

As time passed, the doctors had recommended a prosthetic eye to be placed in the socket to assist with Youssef’s confidence as he grew older. Unfortunately, the cosmetic procedure was very expensive for Youssef’s parents to accommodate. They reached out for support and with the help of Al Jalila Foundation the case was presented to long standing partner Federal Authority for Government Human Resources (FAHR) who lead a company-wide fundraising campaign to raise the much needed funds to give Youssef, now three years old, a high-quality prosthetic eye.

Youssef’s mother was worried that he would have problems fitting in because of his condition: “As a mother, I was afraid that he may be bullied by children and we even avoided going out. Thanks to receiving the prosthetic eye, Youssef’s natural facial features have returned, and we are extremely grateful for all the support we received from Al Jalila Foundation.”

Today Youssef is a happy, confident young boy who enjoys playing with other children.

Kiehl’s, a leading cosmetics brand under L’Oréal, has been supporting Al Jalila Foundation every Ramadan since 2016 through their exclusive limited-edition collections featuring artwork from regionally celebrated artists and designers.

Launched in the Middle East less than a decade ago, we are delighted to see an international brand like Kiehl’s embrace the spirit of Ramadan whilst giving recognition to local talent and raising funds for a good cause.

The one-off designs have featured exceptional regional artists such as Fatma Al Mulla, Marwan Shakarchi, Ayah Tabari, Nourie Flayan and Eezmah. The artists have all expressed their enthusiasm for being selected as part of these charitable initiatives and are proud to display their cultural heritage and use their work to touch the lives of so many people in the UAE.

100% of proceeds from the sales of the designer products and gift boxes are dedicated to support a number of life-changing healthcare programs by Al Jalila Foundation. Through these Ramadan collaborations, Kiehl’s has donated almost USD 100,000.

We are grateful for organisations like Kiehl’s who use their creativity to engage the community to support a charitable cause. We cannot wait to see the next Kiehl’s Ramadan collection!

Like many other adjustments that have been made in the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Al Jalila Foundation’s Ta’alouf Teachers Training program to empower students of determination has been conducted virtually since March 2020.

The school Principal, Mariyam Nizar Ahamed, and fellow teachers from Habitat School Al Tallah in Ajman, completed the online Ta’alouf program in June 2021 and are looking forward to implementing their new skills to support the students of determination in their school.

The online training has proven to be very insightful and beneficial for the teachers, parents and students alike. The newly launched online awareness sessions at Habitat School for all staff and parents has already been met with immense appreciation from parents who have found the practical and informative sessions invaluable. It has also helped to improve the relationship between teachers and parents.

Ms Mariyam believes that the training has been life-changing:  “As a result of this program, my team and I now have a clear path to implementing inclusion within the school and are applying the policies that have been laid out by the Ministry of Education. I would like to mention our heartfelt thanks to Al Jalila Foundation for improving the lives of students of determination.”

As a young mother, Mariam moved to the UAE with her husband and children to begin a new life. Three decades later and now retired, the couple love watching their grandchildren grow up close to them in the Emirates.

The COVID-19 pandemic had been difficult for many and particularly the elderly like Mariam and her husband who are at high risk. In April 2020, Mariam felt pain on her tongue but due to the fear of contracting the virus she hesitated to go to the doctor. However, after two months of being unable to eat or drink she visited the doctor and it was confirmed that she had a malignant cancerous tumour that needed to be removed right away.

The family were in shock and were at a loss for how they would financially manage to support Mariam’s treatment, as her husband’s health was also deteriorating and he needed an urgent heart operation.

The family found the support they desperately needed from Al Jalila Foundation and Mariam was able to undergo a successful operation removing the tumour completely. Today Mariam is in very good health and her family is grateful to have many more days to spend with their beloved mother and grandmother.

8-year-old Ali was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a toddler however the condition has not stopped him from being a superhero for other children of determination and an Ambassador of Hope for Al Jalila Foundation.

Ali’s mother heard about Heroes of Hope and the work they do to empower children of determination through sport and encouraged Ali to give it a try. From his first training in October 2020 Ali was hooked. He had been doing various physiotherapy which he found boring but as soon as he got into the gym, he loved it. After meeting Hollie, his coach, he set himself a challenge to show what children like him were capable of.

Ali recently completed a fitness challenge [1km rowing, 40 squats, 30 slam balls, 20 chin-ups and 100m prowler push] in an incredible time of 33 minutes to raise funds for Heroes of Hope in partnership with Al Jalila Foundation.

He loves training, his favourite activities are weightlifting and playing soccer, and he now dreams of becoming an Olympic champion – as a very focused and determined boy, he will surely get there!  Ali’s parents and his brother Omar are his greatest supporters and could not be prouder of him: “Ali’s determination to achieve something big gives him a lot of confidence and makes him proud of himself especially among his school peers. We know he can realise his dream of being in the Paralympics … the fitness challenge is just the beginning.”

9-year-old Noor Afzaal was born into a silent world as she suffered from profound hearing loss, but thanks to receiving a cochlear implant at the age of 6, with the help of Al Jalila Foundation, her communication developed remarkably and today she can hear and talk like other children her age. It is such a joy for her parents to listen as Noor recites the Quran.

The Afzaal family were exploring improved hearing treatments for three of their daughters. They had learned of the cutting-edge cochlear implant which would be a dream come true but, due to financial capabilities, the high cost of the cochlear implant made this option out of reach for the family. Eager to provide their children with the best chance at living a happy, fulfilled life they contacted Al Jalila Foundation with the hope to give their daughters the cochlear implant.

In collaboration with Al Jalila Foundation, a decision was made to first perform a cochlear implantation on the youngest daughter, Noor, as the younger the patient the greater the impact and the sooner positive results would be seen.

Noor showed great progress, so much so, that after leaving kindergarten she enrolled into mainstream school entering Year 1 at the same age and with the same opportunities as other children her age.

Noor’s mother gratefully expressed: “When we got approval for the cochlear implant procedure for our daughters, it was the happiest day of my life! This implant is a priceless gift and has changed our daughters’ lives, and our family’s, forever.”

After seeing the success of Noor’s implant, Al Jalila Foundation also committed to provide the cochlear implant for Noor’s older sisters, Aisha and Rimsha, as both girls were relying on lip reading to communicate. Since the life-changing cochlear implant the girls are all thriving, and their world has been forever changed.

Watch the Afzaal family story of hope here.

Golf is a key driver of charitable giving around the world with large philanthropic contributions, including those from professional tournaments, that make giving to charity a huge part of the sport. Many of the golf clubs in the UAE and globally recognised tournaments have dedicated proceeds to Al Jalila Foundation healthcare programs over the years.

This year, we are delighted to have gained recognition from one of the world’s greatest up and coming young professional golfers, Renato Paratore, who donated GBP 10,000 of his European Tour winnings to our Ta’alouf program to empower children of determination.

We recently welcomed Renato to Al Jalila Foundation to have his name engraved on Bassmat Rashid Bin Saeed donor recognition wall alongside fellow champions of hope. Renato is the first professional golfer to put his name on the first-of-its-kind ‘wall of fame’ leaving his mark on the future of medicine.

Famous sports personalities have been known to make significant charitable contributions and it is inspiring to see the next generation of golf superstars continue in this tradition. Leading by example is truly what it is all about and we wish Renato many more victories on the golf course and look forward to welcoming him to Al Jalila Foundation again.

Learn more about Bassmat Rashid Bin Saeed here.