Saturday, March 19, 2011

Support is needed for non-profit community initiatives - Community Report - Gulf News Dt. 19.03.2011

Community Report - Gulf News Dt. 19.03.2011 - Support is needed for non-profit community initiatives



The success of the Fourth Used Book Fair in Sharjah could have been even more far-reaching with help from sponsors and volunteers, reader says.

The recently concluded Fourth Used Book Fair in Sharjah, organised by the City for Humanitarian Services, calls for several interesting observations.

The intensive presence of visitors from day one of the fair was highly motivational to volunteers, who dedicated a lot of time and effort to make the event a success.

Visiting the fair and keenly following the activities showed that events of  this nature do not normally generate generous sponsors and sponsorships from organisations. They usually come forward to donate gifts and memorabilia in abundance when events involve film actors or other celebrities.

It was wonderful to see volunteers forgetting their physical challenges, carrying books to numerous stalls and neatly displaying them for sale. They were found competing with each other to showcase their skills in generating revenue for their own cause.

I wish major organisations take a cue from the collective efforts of the organisers of this event and the volunteers who made it a success and support them in the future by coming forward without hesitation in every possible way.

In addition, I feel a strong need by the respectable authorities to initiate a nominal 'Social Service Contribution' of say 0.5 per cent to 1 per cent on ticket costs for events that have a high expense. This could then be made a mandatory distribution to an established charity fund.

The fund could then be allocated proportionately and utilised for the day-to-day running of various charity institutions and organisations within the UAE, who are genuinely in need of more support. This way, everyone will become contributors to humanitarian causes, willingly or not.

It would also be a good idea to complement the effort of these charity organisations by providing them reduction in charges on utility services like telephones, electricity and water bills.

- The reader is a technical officer based in Abu Dhabi

- Be a citizen reporter. Tell us what is happening in your community. Write to us and send us your videos and pictures

To read it in original, please visit GULF NEWS Online.





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