Becoming a volunteer in the UAE is possible even for expats. The good thing about this country is that it emphasizes the culture of volunteering to enhance sustainable development and establish a brighter future for the next generations. There are many Dubai charity organization and Dubai charity organization options for you to choose from and in case you want to conduct social work such as in orphanages or animal shelters, we have compiled a list of charitable organizations in UAE.
Moreover, the government has its own national volunteering portal that supports volunteering activities in the country. You can choose from different social and charitable organizations. A lot of opportunities are available for you, you just have to select the right one.
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15 Volunteer Opportunities and Charitable Organizations in Dubai and the UAE
In case you are wondering, there are a lot of organizations in the UAE where you can volunteer and participate in some activities and community services. To land a good organization, you have to know where you can apply as a volunteer legitimately. The government of the UAE has a list of organizations where you can apply. To help you out, here are the organizations where you can apply.
1. Volunteers.ae
This is a popular website to support volunteers in the UAE. If you want to become a volunteer, you can register yourself on the portal and let the organizations find you there. Volunteers here can be individuals, organizations, or groups. Apart from that, you can also see opportunities and criteria for volunteers on the portal. This allows you to check or assess first whether you are capable of volunteering. Plus, you can study hundreds of opportunities before you volunteer yourself to an organization.
What’s great about Volunteers.ae is that you are allowed to record your achievements as a volunteer. On the portal, you can be recognized using your awards and the hours you allot for volunteering. This is one way you can build a stronger online profile as a volunteer.
2. National Volunteer Program for Emergencies, Crises, and Disasters
The National Volunteer Program for Emergencies, Crises, and Disasters is created by the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority or NCEMA. The purpose of this is program is to establish a distinguished base of volunteers and give them the chance to assist in the efforts of national response in the case of disasters, crises, and emergencies. If you are a resident in the UAE, you are free to join this project of NCEMA.
3. Emirates Red Crescent
The Emirates Red Crescent Authority was set up in 1983 and their aim is strengthen the humanitarian work domestically. They help the weak and those who are in need regardless of cultural, ethnic, religious, or geographic backgrounds.
You will see Red Crescent Dubai and Red Crescent Abu Dhabi, Red Crescent Sharjah and for the rest of the emirates. In 2001, the UAE Red Crescent had been selected as the second best humanitarian Authority at the level of the continent of Asia.
4. Dubai Blood Donation Centre
If you would like to donate blood in Dubai, the Dubai Health Authority Blood Donation Center is a place where you can visit. This was founded in 1986 and is the main center for blood donation in the emirate. They are committed to providing adequate and safe supply of blood to all DHA hospitals as wella s private hospitals in Dubai
5. Day for Dubai
This is another volunteering platform launched by the Dubai Government in 2017. It is a site built for residents and nationals of Dubai so they can volunteer at least one day a year to contribute help to those in need and do community services. Volunteers can offer skills, knowledge, or time. Day for Dubai allows volunteers to spend a full day doing volunteering service or divide their time so they can still complete a day within one year. If you are interested to use this platform, you can download it from the App Store or Google Play.
6. Takatof
Founded by Emirates Foundation, Takatof’s function is to raise public awareness on social needs and promote the culture of volunteering in the country. This targets different groups in society. If you are interested to join a variety of social and humanitarian programs, you can volunteer so that you may be able to learn a lot that can help you improve your character and sense of responsibility.
7. Make a Wish Foundation UAE
You can volunteer for Make a Wish UAE. This foundation focuses on the needs of children. They aim to grant wishes of young people who are battling life-threatening situations. Volunteering for this org will require you to undergo an assessment. After all, these nature of volunteering involves children as well as sensitive information.
8. Volunteering Incubators
Volunteering Incubators was launched by the Community Development Authority (CDA). This serves as an educational course made especially for volunteers and in partnership with one of the universities in the country. In this program, you will learn a lot about the volunteering process in the UAE. You will be able to practice your skills and abilities with the help of this program. If you don’t have experience as a volunteer, you can get training in Volunteering Incubators. Some of the areas you can study in training are leadership, etiquette, life, and the principle of teamwork. This course should be completed so you can show your best capabilities and eventually join different community volunteering programs.
9. Emirates Wildlife Society
This wildlife organization was set up in order to potect biodiversity in key areas across the country. The society aims to address environmental and wildlife issues.
10. Dubai Chamber
Volunteering projects are also offered by Dubai Chamber. These are the initiatives of this organization to help employees engage in the community more often. Specifically, the Center for Responsible Business of Dubai Chamber manages the Engage Dubai program wherein it connects businesses to different community partners in order to build more community projects.
11. National Fund
In the UAE, there is a fund established for the benefit of aspiring Emirati businessmen. This is called the National Fund and it aims to give education and training to Emiratis, especially those who want to set up a business. The fund was built in 2016 by local businessmen and one of its ultimate goals is to give career guidance to 10,000 students of different Emirati schools. The fund can be used for summer and winter classes so to give at least 1,000 Emiratis a chance to obtain work experience. Based on its budget, it was able to allocate about AED 10-25 million from 2017 to 2019.
12. Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares is an organization that hosts different volunteering activities all year round. It’s been serving the community for years now. Before you volunteer in this organization, make sure that you are above 16 years old. But in case the volunteer is below the minimum age requirement, he/she can be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
13. Adopt a Camp
Adopt-a-Camp is part of the Dubai Chamber and this is a charity campaign that has attracted over 10,000 volunteers. These volunteers aims to support labour camps in the UAE where volunteers collect and pack personal care items to be distributed to labour workers.
14. Dubai Volunteering Center
The Community Development Authority initiated the Dubai Volunteering Center. This is the first formal body in the city that was able to build an organization offering volunteering services. The focus of this organization is within Dubai only. What it does is to connect willing volunteers to the community.
15. We Are All Police
Meanwhile, in Abu Dhabi, there is a program called “We Are All Police” started by Abu Dhabi Police. The purpose of this program is to train residents and citizens to become community police officers. There are courses that can teach skills such as first aid, sense of security, crises and disasters, problem-solving, public speaking, and so on.
Final Thoughts
There are some expats in the UAE who choose to volunteer so that they may experience a different story other than working in the country. If you feel that this is somehow your calling, to be a big part of the community, you may consider the organizations and programs mentioned above.
