Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor, Founder of the Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor Foundation (KAHF) and Chairman of the Al Habtoor Group urges people to give more to charities for the betterment of humanity. Al Habtoor said that His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, declared 2017 ‘The Year of Giving’.
Al Habtoor has donated to date AED 370m of his own money to many charities. In 2013 he launched a foundation in his name – The Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor Foundation (KAHF), which aims to improve the lives of mankind irrespective of race, religion and political affiliation. The main focus of the Foundation is Community Development, Interfaith Dialogue & Understanding, Education & Research, Healthcare and Poverty Alleviation.
Donations to date include regular contributions to the UAE Red Crescent, the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature, the American University of Sharjah, Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research, Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation (the building of two endowments) and the Khalaf Al Habtoor Assistive Technology Resource Center at Zayed University. The centre aims to support the personal and professional development of students with special needs. On average the KAHF gives over AED 5m annually to needy families in the United Arab Emirates. “Charity begins at home,” he said. “Which is why I support many initiatives in the United Arab Emirates, and I encourage others to do the same.”
In addition, Al Habtoor has funded the reconstruction and management of the Al Farooq Omar Bin Al Khattab Mosque & Centre, as well as the Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor Medical Simulation Center – the first comprehensive simulation training facility of its kind in the region located within the Mohammed Bin Rashid Academic Medical Centre at Dubai Healthcare City. The facility, which provides medical professionals with hands-on clinical simulation training, is designed to replicate a hospital setting with functioning operating rooms, adult and paediatric intensive care, and high-fidelity patient simulators.
Outside the UAE, Al Habtoor is a regular supporter of The Carter Centre, Illinois College, and The American University of Cairo among others.
“Let us start 2017 on the right foot,” he said. “In the coming weeks I will be making a big announcement to assist people in the UAE.”