Borealis extends its partnership with UAE educational and social organisations

Borealis announces that three leading social and educational organisations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will be the recipients of support made available through the Borealis Social Fund, which was founded in 2008 with the mission to enhance the social welfare of the communities in which Borealis operates. This year, a total of AED three million (approximately EUR 714000) will be dispersed among the Emirates Foundation the UAE Paralympic Committee and the Emirates National Schools (ENS),. A signing ceremony held on 7 December 2021 in Abu Dhabi was attended by Borealis CEO Thomas Gangl and representatives of all three organisations.

“The organisations supported by the Borealis Social Fund exemplify our own commitment to promoting education and social integration,” says Borealis CEO Thomas Gangl. “The valuable work that each of these organisations is doing in their respective areas is much appreciated. We are pleased that our renewed support can contribute to their further success by enabling them to expand their outreach efforts.”

Emirates Foundation and Borealis: a shared dedication to community building

The Emirates Foundation is a national organisation dedicated to helping communities adapt, transform, and prepare in order to become more resilient. The Foundation’s work is built on the three pillars of volunteering, capacity building, and encouraging healthy social behaviours.

The importance of volunteering becomes clearest in times of crisis. During the pandemic, Emirates Foundation volunteers further stepped up their efforts to help their communities cope. As of mid-year 2021, volunteers had devoted a staggering 476,862 hours at health and vaccination centres alone. . Examples of the diversity of Emirates Foundation volunteering efforts include t the Expo2020, where thousands of volunteers have been manning the UAE, UN, GCC, and Saudi pavilions.

Positive social behaviours are reinforced in co-founding the Mental Support Line initiative. The hotline’s volunteers are trained by psychologists and mental health professionals and provide valuable and confidential support, both over the phone and online, to people struggling with mental health issues resulting from the pandemic.

“In times of crisis, our work at the Emirates Foundation becomes more essential than ever, whether in helping our communities get vaccinated, connecting UAE nationals to employers, or providing confidential mental health support when people need it most,” says Ahmed Taleb Ali Al Shamsi, CEO of Emirates Foundation. “We are thus especially pleased to continue our valued and long-standing partnership with Borealis and the Borealis Social Fund.”

UAE Paralympic Committee and Borealis- A Journey towards development and success

The UAE Paralympic Committee was founded as a national authority in 1996 to enhance awareness of the special needs of the disabled, and to encourage their full integration into society. The committee actively supports athletes regularly competing in a wide range of disciplines. For instance, its athletes have participated in the Paralympic Games since Sydney in 2002 and have accumulated 22 medals to date, with the most medals (seven) won at the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.

Despite Covid-related limitations, twelve UAE athletes participated in the Tokyo 2020 games, which ultimately took place in 2021 after having been postponed. Among the five female and seven male athletes, two were medal winners with total three medals; gold in shooting and two medals in wheelchair racing, Silver in the 800 metres and Bronze in the 100 metres.

“Our athletes had to wait longer than expected to finally compete in the Tokyo Games, but it was worth the wait. ,Their hard work and scarifies paid off and they rise to the top rank of the world athletes ” says H. E. Mohammed M. Fadhel Al Hameli, Chairperson of the UAE Paralympic Committee. “Our unique partnership with Borealis since 2013 is yielding the desired effect: increased awareness of para games and enabling our People of Determination to demonstrate their exceptional talent.”

Emirates National Schools and Borealis: expanding opportunity through education

Founded in 2002, ENS offers a world-class education for pupils from kindergarten through grade twelve. With a strong focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), the ENS curriculum cultivates productive citizens and future leaders, and equips its students with the knowledge and learning skills required to continue with post-secondary studies. Many of its over 2,700 graduates have in fact gone on to attend top national and international universities. Around 12,500 students currently attend any one of the six school campuses, the most recent of which – Al Khawaneej 1, in Dubai – was inaugurated in September 2021. With a combined faculty and staff of over 1,400, the ENS builds on Common Core and Next Generation Standards to impart knowledge in both STEM subjects and the humanities.

The Covid pandemic necessitated a shift to online instruction in the past two academic years. Borealis Social Fund means have been employed to design interactive learning programmes as well as remote learning studios and labs. These virtual facilities enable ongoing interaction between instructors and students, and allow for coursework and projects to be carried out efficiently and productively.

“The pandemic has thrown up many challenges for teaching and learning in the past two years. It has been reassuring to be able to count on the support of the Borealis Social Fund,” says Dr. Shawn L. Dill, Director General of Emirates National Schools. “The fund has enabled us to expand our virtual instruction facilities in order to provide the personal attention and quality learning experience that makes ENS so special.”

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