Emirati banker to walk from Abu Dhabi to Dubai for charity

Nasser Ibrahim plans to walk from Abu Dhabi to Dubai to raise funds for special needs children at the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre. Jaime Puebla / The National

DUBAI // Nasser Ibrahim will make the 100-kilometre trek from Abu Dhabi to Dubai to raise funds for children with special needs. The Emirati banker, 32, will walk along the busy E11 motorway for the seventh time on Saturday in aid of the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre.

“It’s all about raising awareness of what children with special needs can do rather than what they can’t do so that they can be integrated into society without feeling any less privileged than other children,” Mr Ibrahim said.

Starting at Abu Dhabi Airport at 12:30pm, Mr Ibrahim will take two days to complete the trek. He is expected to arrive at the Mashreq Bank Dubai Internet City branch by 3:30pm on Monday.

He will be accompanied by his nephew, Zubair, 22, who has walked the distance once before.

“We don’t have any vehicles with us, we will be walking alone, carrying about 9kg of gear with us including water, eating at petrol stations on the way and sleeping by the side of the road,” said Mr Ibrahim, who admitted walking and sleeping while cars zoom past at 140kmph can be scary, but he will draw on his experience of the previous six walks, all of which were completed without any problems.

Mashreq Bank, Mr Ibrahim’s employer, will donate Dh50,000 to the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre at the end of the walk.

Youngsters from the special needs centre will join Mr Ibrahim for the final 1km, emphasising their integration into society. AbdulAziz Al Ghurair, Mashreq bank’s chief executive, and senior management will also walk the last leg.

“I want to show that these children are ordinary people, they just learn things differently and so need to be trained differently,” Mr Ibrahim said.

“I hope that by raising awareness I can make a difference in their lives. We should look at imposing a quota on hiring people with special needs just as we have imposed one for Emiratisation.”

Mr Ibrahim was a student at the American University in Dubai when he first had the idea to walk between Dubai and the capital to raise awareness about trachoma, an infectious disease that causes gradual blindness and affects children in Africa who don’t have clean water sources.

His other treks have helped the 2004 Asian tsunami relief appeal, the Special Needs Families Dubai Development Centre, the Dubai Autism Centre, and the Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs.

The father of one, who does not train before each walk, has raised a total of Dh285,000.

“It’s great to see our young Emiratis employ their talents, abilities and potentials in order to serve noble and sublime issues, as well as interact with the concerns and issues of people with special needs,” said Mariam Othman, director of the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre.

“Thus, the young people become role models for others so that our children and our students with disabilities feel that their community did not surpass or marginalise them. Nasser has contributed through his marathon and the distances he has covered on previous walks times, and this time in deepening and enhancing community awareness of disability issues.”

Even though he has walked between the emirates many times, each has its own special meaning said Mr Ibrahim.

“I’ve been doing these walkathons for many years now and each one always means something different. I am highly thankful to Mashreq for supporting me on this and I can’t wait to meet the children on the last leg,” he said.

Last year he was joined by about 100 people for the last few kilometres. “It was great to have the kids walk with me, it really boosts your morale and lets you see first hand why you are doing this. Last year the kids surprised me by dancing gangnam style at the end of the walk, I will never forget that,” said.

Mr Ibrahim said he uses his walk as a metaphor for the children’s lives. “I try to show that mental ability and perseverance can overcome any physical disability.”

When he finally reaches the finish line Mr Ibrahim says he will look forward to taking a salted ice bath to rest his aching feet, but he won’t have too much time to take it easy. “I need to relax, I don’t get any time off after the walk. I’m back at work the next day.”