Dubai Cares advances global education and humanitarian impact in milestone year

Dubai Cares has reinforced its global development impact following another year of significant achievements, reaching millions of beneficiaries worldwide and advancing critical education and humanitarian interventions across multiple regions.

Since its inception in 2007, Dubai Cares has worked to ensure that children and youth are equipped for the future through access to equitable, quality education, as well as lifelong learning and skilling opportunities. This commitment has been underpinned by significant, long-term investment, with the organisation disbursing AED1.27 billion ($346 million) in grants over 18 years towards its larger programmatic commitments - transforming the nation’s collective generosity into sustainable, long-term impact for children and youth around the world.

His Excellency Dr. Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chairman of Dubai Cares, highlighted that Dubai Cares was established under the wise and humanitarian leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at a time when the global education crisis had not yet received the urgency and international attention it required. He noted that recognising the scale of the global education challenge at an early stage reflects His Highness’ visionary leadership and foresight in anticipating global priorities and acting decisively ahead of many global leaders, through an approach that strengthened Global South–South cooperation.

HE Dr. Al Gurg emphasised that through partnerships with 143 organisations, Dubai Cares has so far delivered 264 programmes, 48 advocacy initiatives, and 40 research programmes globally, reaching 117 million individuals in 60 developing countries, thereby reinforcing its position as a leading global philanthropic organisation driving systemic change and sustainable impact across education systems worldwide. 

This milestone reflects Dubai Cares’ comprehensive approach to education transformation, grounded in its mission to break the cycle of poverty by ensuring that children and youth have access to equitable, quality education and lifelong learning, as well as skilling opportunities. With the support of the UAE community, Dubai Cares continued to strengthen education systems in 2025 by expanding access to quality education and skills development for children and youth, while sustaining education and humanitarian interventions in crisis-affected contexts.

HE Dr. Al Gurg said: “From the outset, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid’s directives were clear: to reach as many children as possible in the most remote and underserved communities around the world, ensure their enrolment in school, and support them through the delivery of quality education programmes. Guided by this vision, we translated these directives into innovative, scalable programmes designed to be embedded within developing countries’ national education systems and replicated beyond individual programme cycles, driving systemic change. Over time, our mission has continued to evolve, enabling us to demonstrate the tangible impact of our programmes and reaffirm the vital role of the UAE community and our partners in transforming the lives of children and youth worldwide through education.”

As we move towards our 20th anniversary in 2027, we are fully focused on building on this legacy by advancing long-term outcomes in education that drive human development at scale. In doing so, we will continue to remain closely aligned with the UAE’s national priorities, its leadership, and the UAE Foreign Aid Strategy, reinforcing education as a cornerstone of sustainable development and international cooperation. Through this alignment, Dubai Cares remains committed to helping elevate Dubai’s global standing by expanding its humanitarian footprint through principled, impactful action that champions systems change in education.”

Breaking barriers 
HE Dr. Al Gurg further emphasised Dubai Cares’ comprehensive approach to strengthening education systems worldwide, noting that since its inception more than 18 years ago, and by the end of 2025, the organisation had helped protect the health of 61,740,643 children through school-based deworming activities and provided 4,480,449 children with access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene facilities. Also, to support learning and well-being, 4,984,302 school children received nutritious meals, while 5,011,799 teachers were trained to enhance education quality and student outcomes. 

Recognising the importance of skilling, Dubai Cares equipped 788,467 young people with vocational training and other critical skills, while 7,148,630 young children benefited from early childhood education programmes. In addition, 779,988 individuals benefited from improved digital connectivity, and 208,725 children gained access to primary and secondary education. Moreover, the organisation ensured that 4,623,276 children and youth continued to access education during emergencies and protracted crises, while 18,579,290 girls and women were empowered through targeted, gender-responsive interventions.

An additional 8,645,492 individuals have been reached since inception through complementary initiatives, reinforcing Dubai Cares’ commitment to inclusive, sustainable and system level education transformation.

Reflecting on the organisation’s achievements in 2025, HE Dr. Al Gurg said: “The Year of Community, marked in 2025 in the UAE, held special significance for Dubai Cares, considering that our very existence is rooted in the generosity and compassion of the UAE community. This year reminded us that our community is not just part of our journey; it is our foundation. Their belief in our mission reinforced Dubai Cares as the community’s charity of choice, empowering us to deliver greater impact and reach even more children and youth globally.”

He added: “In 2025, this collective commitment translated into meaningful outcomes across our programmatic, humanitarian, and community-focused efforts. By the end of the year, we had disbursed AED1.27 billion ($346 million). This strong performance demonstrates our ability to rapidly convert pledged resources into tangible impact on the ground, expanding access to quality learning, nutrition and skills for millions of children and youth. We also continued our support towards crisis-affected zones in Lebanon and Gaza. Through deepened collaboration with donors and partners across key sectors, we secured vital commitments for long-term initiatives such as Adopt a School and Adopt a Library, ensuring sustainable change for generations to come.”

Supporting crisis-affected communities
In line with Dubai Cares’ humanitarian mandate, HE Dr. Al Gurg highlighted the organisation’s continued emergency interventions in Lebanon and Gaza, aimed at supporting children and families affected by crises. He explained that through the provision of food, clean water, and shelter in Gaza, as well as psychosocial support and winterisation kits in Lebanon, Dubai Cares addressed urgent humanitarian needs while safeguarding the dignity and well-being of affected communities. He noted that through these efforts, the organisation reached 761,975 affected individuals in Lebanon and Gaza in 2025.

Building foundations for lifelong learning 
HE Dr. Al Gurg also highlighted Dubai Cares’ efforts to strengthen education systems in 2025 through key partnerships. He shared that the organisation supported the construction of two primary schools each in Nepal and Senegal funded by donors under its Adopt a School initiative. In India, six inclusive libraries were established in primary schools across Bihar and Jharkhand through its Adopt a Library initiative. He also emphasised that these initiatives created vibrant spaces for literacy and reading, that were enabled by strong community partnerships to benefit more than 19,736 children and educators. 

Mobilising the UAE community
In addition, HE Dr. Al Gurg underscored the role of the UAE community in advancing Dubai Cares’ mission. In 2025, Dubai Cares mobilised 3,879 volunteers and participants through its Volunteer Emirates initiative, reflecting the UAE’s culture of giving during the Year of Community. 19 editions of Volunteer Emirates brought individuals and families together to refurbish schools, pack learning kits, and support activities that enhanced learning environments across the UAE. He further noted the impact of the Students for Students initiative, which engaged 17 schools and 2,112 students to support children from low-income families in the UAE with essential school supplies. 

Turning everyday dining into meaningful impact
HE Dr. Al Gurg also drew attention to the success of the second edition of Dubai Cares’ ‘Taste of Giving’ campaign in 2025 which brought together the F&B sector and the wider community in a unified effort to support children’s education. He explained how 36 restaurants and F&B brands joined forces to transform everyday dining experiences into meaningful contributions, providing 250,000 school meals to support children's learning and well-being. This initiative demonstrated how simple acts of generosity can create tangible impact for children and youth in need. 

Crowdfunding campaigns
Furthermore, HE Dr. Al Gurg highlighted Dubai Cares’ crowdfunding platform as a powerful way for individuals, schools, and organisations to directly support children’s education. He noted that in 2025, the platform transformed personal milestones, creative challenges, and local initiatives into meaningful contributions for underprivileged children worldwide. With 55 crowdfunding campaigns launched during the year, these campaigns exemplified the UAE community’s growing culture of collective responsibility.

Advancing global advocacy and research
At the global level, HE Dr. Al Gurg shared Dubai Cares’ ongoing commitment to global advocacy and research. He emphasised the organisation’s contribution to key policy discussions, including the intersection of education and climate action, and its collaboration with international partners to promote reforms that ensure equitable and resilient education for all.