A brighter side of COVID-19

Rania Tayeh, Head of Corporate Affairs & Communications at EWINGS writes the pandemic brought to the surface the noble values of mankind, essential to creating a better future

EWINGS, on behalf of Mahzooz, donated Dh100,000 to Al Jalila to help the Foundation’s A’awen programme which looks after patients in need of health care. Image: supplied

They say your true self is revealed during a crisis. As much as this is true for individuals, in reality corporations are no different. As the Covid-19 pandemic evolved, we saw many people giving up on their dreams, ambitions, and aspirations and similarly, a number of companies gave up on their people by letting them go and by cutting their salaries.

Amidst the crisis, we looked at things differently. We saw another side to the pandemic. We saw an opportunity to change people’s lives for the better, bring them hope and give back to the communities. Led by this vision, we, at EWINGS, on behalf of Mahzooz, embarked on a challenging journey to achieve a noble mission: to make people’s dreams come true and give back to our community and beyond. This vision was realised by the launch of Mahzooz which is Arabic for fortunate or lucky.

Mahzooz is a live weekly draw where people can log on to the website www.mahzooz.ae and buy a bottle of water for Dh35. Every purchase provides eligibility to participate in the live weekly draw and to stand a chance to win millions of dirhams with a grand prize set at Dh50 million. What makes Mahzooz so unique is its charitable DNA. Charity is the core of Mahzooz. Each and every bottle of water purchased by participants is donated and channelled through our community partners to hydrate those in need.

However, we didn’t stop there! We’ve been actively engaging with various noble causes, NGOs and charities in the UAE and beyond to support humanitarian and philanthropic initiatives. Our continuous efforts have been crowned by signing agreements and partnerships with prominent organizations, through which we have been able to give back to communities and empower individuals.

Recent tie ups include Al Jalila Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical research, education, and treatment.

EWINGS, on behalf of Mahzooz, donated Dh100,000 to Al Jalila to help the Foundation’s A’awen programme which looks after patients in need. The funds will go towards supporting patients, who are unable to afford medical expenses, to ensure that they receive quality care and are able to lead happy and healthy lives.

In December 2020, EWINGS, on behalf of Mahzooz, formed a partnership with non-profit society Friends of Cancer Patients (FOCP), where Dh100,000 was donated to support the FOCP’s ongoing fight against the regional battle with cancer. Registered at the UAE Ministry of Social Affairs, the charity was selected by us as a profound cause in its mission to help the lives of others.

During the peak of Covid-19 pandemic, we pledged ongoing support to a community charity drive called Stop and Help, which helps families with children living in UAE that are struggling due to the economic downturn cause by Covid-19. Our pledge led to the delivery of over 180,000 meals and 3,500 boxes of groceries, worth over Dh900,000 to families in need over the span of six months.

In August, the world was shocked by the devastating blast that took place in Lebanon, where explosions tore through the port in Beirut killing hundreds and injuring thousands. With swathes of the city destroyed, EWINGS, on behalf of Mahzooz, donated a generous amount of money to the Emirates Red Crescent to help victims of the accident.

We are honoured to be a driving force towards changing people’s lives for the better and are proud to have been able to help numerous individuals in the UAE who were in real need.

With a full calendar of projects lined up and long-term plans to further expand our community engagement, these partnerships pave the way for our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility.

In conclusion, our journey during the pandemic showed us a brighter side of Covid-19 where we saw individuals helping each other and supporting strangers. The pandemic brought to the surface the noble values of mankind: giving, tolerance, solidarity and most importantly, believing that this too shall pass, and everything is possible. These values are essential to creating a better and brighter tomorrow.