Q&A with CEO of Dubai Cares
Q & A with Tariq Al Gurg, CEO of Dubai Cares
Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN): Why was Dubai Cares founded and what is its vision?
Tariq Al Gurg (TA): Education is the most effective tool to break the cycle of poverty, a belief held by our founder, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and leader of Dubai. This belief and the vision of a world in which all children can go to school inspired His Highness to launch Dubai Cares in September 2007.
GAIN: What drew Dubai Cares to partner with GAIN?
TA: Dubai Cares seeks strategic relationships with like-minded organizations for the implementation of primary education programs worldwide. One of the components of our primary education programs is providing children with access to better health and nutrition to help them attend school and complete their studies. Given GAIN’s expertise in the area, we chose to partner with them.
GAIN: What are Dubai Cares' areas and countries of focus?
TA: Dubai Cares implements programs that integrate four key components and include assistance in the areas of School Infrastructure; School Health and Nutrition; Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools; and Quality of Education. To date, we have primary education programs in 24 countries and communities including Bangladesh, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Mali, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, and with Palestinian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon.
GAIN: Dubai Cares has supported school feeding in Bangladesh. What lessons have been learned from this project and is it a model that can be replicated elsewhere?
TA: In Bangladesh, we have partnered with GAIN to reduce malnutrition by providing fortified foods to school-aged children from low-income families to improve their access to education. Our Programs team is working closely with GAIN, particularly in the area of Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning, which will help us determine the success of our program and whether it can be replicated elsewhere.
