The Founding Father Sheikh Zayed was born in 1918 and to mark the 100-year celebrations, 2018 has been marked as 'The Year of Zayed'. This year is going to mark a special turning-point in celebrating the achievements and legacy of the great ruler.
The idea behind the celebration is to unearth the legacy of the great man and to marry it with the modern-day initiatives which would fuel the nationality and ethos of UAE. All the measures taken, boast of the late man's imprint of serving the underprivileged, celebrating life, and dismantling social and economic heriarchies.
On Sunday, the day that the late Sheikh Zayed Al Nahyan would have turned 100, the ‘Zayed Happiness Van’ started its journey in Dubai. It's purpose is to serve food to those who cannot afford it and goodies which are synonymous with good times and cheer.
For example - The first point had 800 people inundated with free food, ice cream, new shoes and fabrics.
Though some may argue that happiness is not tangible, we all know this isn't true. After all, everyone craves food for the soul and food for the body. The idea behind all of this is that happiness can be measured and that poor people also deserve the things which they usually do not get on a day-to-day basis.
The Zayed Painting Competition gathered 100 students from schools all over the country in a nation-wide painting competition, to celebrate the spirit of The Year of Zayed Foundation. The aim was to strengthen the objectives of the foundation, as well as spread joy and cheer amongst children, who would forget their differences in a burst of creative fervour and let art cross barriers of social and economic inequality.
“The Year of Zayed is a national occasion to highlight the qualities of the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan and his local, regional and international achievements. It is also a perfect opportunity to draw lessons from Shaikh Zayed’s rich life experiences and challenges that he encountered and managed to overcome with his wisdom,” Al Daheri said.
Among the initiatives are ‘Zayed: The Founding Father of the Nation’, and the campaign ‘Zayed in Our Hearts’, among many others that aim to instill love of Shaikh Zayed in the hearts of young generations.
On Ramadan 19, marking the Zayed Humanitarian Day, Dar Zayed will launch a charity campaign ‘For Zayed’ that involves children and youth in large numbers. The purpose will be to infuse love for voluntary work and working for the under-privileged.
The year of Zayed has seen initiatives in the field of health as well. Emirates Red Crescent and Health First Pharmacies, managed by Planet Pharmacies LLC, that is renowned as the exclusive distributor of Julphar medicines in the UAE, signed a cooperation agreement related to supply of healthcare products at the Emirates Red Crescent Headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
On behalf of Health First Pharmacies, Abdulwahab Al-Halabi stressed that this initiative from both sides emerges as a part of many initiatives under the Year of Zayed that have taken place in the UAE after announcement by the esteemed leadership that 2018 is the Year of Zayed.
The auction of a distinguished number plate — Z 1971 — dedicated in honour of Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the Founding Father of the UAE, will be among a series of 20 initiatives launched by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to mark the Year of Zayed.
The year will not only be about remembering all that Sheikh Zayed did to form the UAE of today, but it will also, like with the Year of Giving, be about promoting values such as tolerance, charity, progression and leadership across the community.
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