Roxana Jaffer, CEO of Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha, presents the fund to Ashraf Hamouda, WFP Head of Partnerships & Business Development for the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia & Eastern Europe. As part of its “Holiday Inn Loves You Campaign”, Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha Hotel made a donation to the UN World Food Program (WFP) to provide 100,000 school meals to children in the Middle East. Roxana Jaffer, CEO of Holiday Inn Dubai – Al Barsha, presented the funds to WFP Head of Partnerships & Business Development for the Middle East, North Africa and Central Asia & Eastern Europe, Ashraf Hamouda. “WFP is the world's largest humanitarian organization addressing hunger worldwide and we are glad to support such a worthy cause,” Jaffer said. “The ‘Holiday Inn Loves You Campaign' is dedicated to building a successful and self-sustaining civil society in the UAE while reaching out a helping hand to those in need worldwide – be it children, victims of natural disasters or people affected by political and economic crisis.” WFP school meals programs in the region support child education by providing daily, nutritious meals for students and take-home rations for their families. These meals act as an incentive for children to go to and stay in school and help combat gender gaps and child labor in the poorest communities. “With the backdrop of the Hadith (sayings) of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) we believe that ‘Life isn't worth living unless it's lived for someone else'. It has enabled us to inculcate in our employees an ethos of giving and an awareness of the suffering of the less fortunate be they physically or mentally challenged or financially powerless,” Jaffer further said. Since its launch in September 2007, the “Holiday Inn Loves You Campaign” has actively supported numerous noteworthy charitable causes through events and marathons, working closely with NGOs locally and abroad. – SG
