McDonald's UAE's Ramadan Book Campaign Raises 300,000 UAE Dirhams to Support the Education of Beit Al Khair Orphans

Dubai, UAE, August 18, 2016:  In its 8th consecutive year, McDonald’s UAE’s annual Children’s Charity Book campaign for the holy month of Ramadan has raised 300,000 UAE Dirhams to support the education of the orphans at the Beit Al Khair society. 

McDonald’s’ yearly campaign aims to encourage its customers to give back to their communities by purchasing children’s books from any McDonald’s branch. This Ramadan, 60,000 books were purchased throughout the McDonald’s UAE restaurants. The four books; Rana Helps the Pets, Noor Brings Hearts Closer Together, Sami Helps the Environment and Nadeem Reduces the Distances; were developed in collaboration with writer Rania Zbib and illustrator Fadi Salame and carried the themes of good deeds to educate children across the UAE on the importance of generosity and cooperation. Each book was sold for AED 5 with all proceeds going to the Beit Al Khair society. 

On Tuesday, 16th August 2016, Mr Walid Fakih, General Manager of McDonald’s UAE attended a ceremony to hand over the 300,000 UAE Dirhams cheque to Mr. Abdeen Taher al Awadi, General Manager of the Beit Al Khair Society. Commenting on the success of the campaign, Mr Fakih said: “We are incredibly grateful to everyone who participated in this year’s Ramadan Books Campaign. It gives us great pleasure to see the continued determination and compassion of our customers in helping us support orphans at the Beit Al Khair Society year after year.” 
 
“In line with our ongoing commitment to give back to society, we are constantly looking for ways to help the less fortunate. Beit Al Khair is a brilliant charity organization dedicated 

to educating disadvantaged children across the UAE. Working closely with the public, we’re proud to be able to support them achieve their ambitions” added Mr. Fakih.

Abdeen Taher Al-Awadi, Executive Director at Beit Al Khair Society said: “We would like to thank McDonald's UAE for their ongoing support of our organization’s charitable projects. This year, the Ramadan Books Campaign also coincided the “UAE Reads” initiative, launched by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, reinforcing the importance of education in line with the vision of the nation’s leader.

“In addition to the positive impact that the four books had on our children, McDonald’s UAE generously donated AED 300,000 from book sales to support the education of orphaned children, and is a testament to the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility and its support for the less fortunate ".