20-10-2021
With just Dh2, customers can protect one person from river blindness and lymphatic filariasis for the entire year.
LuLu Group International on Wednesday announced a major in-store fundraising drive to help eliminate neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) — supporting the UAE’s campaign to change five million lives.
The initiative — called ‘Give Dh2 Save 2 Eyes’ — was launched at LuLu Hypermarket in Mushrif Mall as part of the UAE’s ‘50 Days to Transform 5 Million Lives’ campaign, in partnership with Reach.
With just Dh2, customers can provide the medicine and treatment to protect one person from river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, and several other co-endemic diseases for the entire year.
Customers can donate to The Reach Campaign through select purchases made at any LuLu store; by texting the word GIVE to 2424; or through Reach’s website: www.reachtheend.org
The drive, which began on October 14, carries on the commitment of the UAE’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, to end NTDs, a diverse group of 20 conditions that are mainly prevalent in tropical areas.
These diseases mostly affect impoverished communities and disproportionately affect women and children, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). “They cause devastating health, social and economic consequences to more than one billion people,” it added.
The nationwide campaign coincides with the UAE’s Golden Jubilee celebrations and will run until December 2.
LuLu Group will be raising funds through multi-brand promotion across all of its stores in the UAE.
All proceeds will benefit the Reaching the Last Mile Fund (RLMF), which offers a proof of concept for the elimination of river blindness and lymphatic filariasis in sub-Saharan Africa.
Tala Al Ramahi, acting managing director for The Reach Campaign, said: “Everyone can play a part in protecting vulnerable communities from NTDs. The small sum of Dh2 can not only change a person’s life and protect them against river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, but also help free future generations from the burden of these preventable diseases.”
Yusuff Ali M.A., chairman and managing director of LuLu Group, said: “At LuLu, we are proud to fulfil a key component of our Group’s CSR promise of improving lives by supporting the ‘50 Days to Transform 5 Million Lives’ campaign. The gift of sight is a precious gift and is a very important aspect of productivity and an individual’s personal growth intellectually, spiritually and economically.”
All proceeds from LuLu Group International will be administered through Reach’s strategic partner, Emirates Red Crescent.
