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United Arab Emirates, Dubai, March 27, 2014: The Noor Dubai Foundation, a Dubai-based non-governmental organization that specializes in global blindness prevention, treatment and education renewed today a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Dubai Islamic Humanitarian Foundation(DIHF) to continue ongoing efforts to prevent and treat blindness in countries of need.
As part of the MoU, DIHF donated AED 2 million to Noor Dubai to carry out four mobile eye camps.
The MoU was signed by His Excellency Engineer Essa Al Maidoor, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Noor Dubai and Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, and Abdelrazak Al Abdalla, CEO of Dubai Islamic Bank Foundation at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development (DIHAD) conference and exhibition. The signing ceremony was attended by Ibrahim Bu Melha, Adviser to the Ruler of Dubai for Cultural and Humanitarian Affairs and Director General of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Humanitarian and Charity Establishment, and Dr Manal Taryam, CEO of Noor Dubai Foundation.
Al Maidoor extended his appreciation to the Foundation for supporting this humanitarian initiative and highlighted that Noor Dubai will provide medical, education and training facilities for blindness prevention and treatment in nations recognized as countries of need by the World Health Organization
He said, the Foundation has reached out to 8.7 million people globally since its inception in 2008. Most of the camps have been organized in countries in the Asian and African continent that are in most need of these services.
He added that the aim of the foundation is to bring light, or “noor”, back into the eyes of millions of people who live in the shadow of impaired vision and to prevent others from falling victim to the same fate due to poverty or lack of facilities.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 90 per cent of the world's visually impaired live in developing countries, and up to 80 per cent of all visual impairment can be prevented or cured.
Noor Dubai and The Carter Center are also working to eliminate blinding trachoma in Ethiopia. Trachoma is highly prevalent in Ethiopia's Amhara Region and although preventable is a leading cause of blindness in Ethiopia.
Abdelrazak Al Abdalla, CEO of DIB Foundation applauded the work of the Foundation and said: “ This partnership will enable DIB foundation to support Noor Dubai for the fourth time in expanding their scope of work around the world and providing programs to treat as well as prevent blindness. This extended partnership will enable DIB Foundation to fund four mobile eye camps organized by Noor Dubai. These outreach programs provide medical, surgical and preventive eye care, which leads to the growth of the national economy as well helps enhance the national standards for health as NDF also provides training to local physicians participating in the programs.”
Dr. Manal Taryam, CEO of Noor Dubai Foundation, stressed the importance of sustaining the foundation's programs through strategic partnerships with banks and other corporate bodies in the UAE.
She said funding blindness prevention programs and campaigns is a great opportunity for corporate social responsibility(CSR) and use of Zakat funding.
Through Mobile Eye Camps, Noor Dubai is able to deliver treatment in the form of surgeries, medication and eyeglasses, as well as screening for sight threatening diseases such as Diabetes and Hypertension. The Camps are also an opportunity for hands on training for the local ophthalmologists.
Noor Dubai plans to expand its outreach program to include more countries in Africa and Asia in need of blindness prevention programs.
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