We celebrate International Volunteer Day on 5 December to highlight the commitment of our leadership, headed by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to be global leaders in voluntary work. Our wise leadership aims to alleviate the suffering of people and promote voluntary work, through the establishment of organisations to train individuals in all forms of voluntary activities.
This success has been evident in humanitarian and charitable initiatives and programmes that were carried out efficiently and professionally around the world by Emirati volunteers. They have contributed to promoting the UAE’s prominent position in volunary work.
At Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), we continuously support the integrated sustainable system of volunteering and community cohesion, among our employees and the community. Our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and voluntary initiatives are an integral part of our strategic plan, and our efforts to serve the community. We have aligned our CSR and voluntary strategy with the main objectives of the Year of Giving 2017, based on three main themes: social responsibility, volunteering, and serving the nation. We will also work on achieving the goals of the Year of Zayed 2018, which will be a national occasion to celebrate the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. The Year of Zayed will highlight on his role as the founder of the UAE, as well as his local and international achievements. He worked quietly to help the needy around the world.
DEWA employees participate in volunteering activities, inside and outside the UAE, because they believe that humanitarian work results in true happiness. Our social responsibility mission is to achieve customer happiness, and our vision is to become a sustainable innovative world-class utility. DEWA launched 224 initiatives from 2013 to 2016, with over 42,000 hours of volunteer work achieved by DEWA employees. DEWA’s CSR efforts have contributed to raising society’s happiness from 82% in 2013 to 89% in 2016.