ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates - Sunday, July 13th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

Under the generous patronage of Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Honorary President of the Saaed Society to Reduce Traffic Accidents, the Society organized yesterday (Saturday) the first Iftar gathering for individuals with special needs in Shangri-La Hotel Abu Dhabi. The event aims to revive the values of good and generous giving that were promoted by the Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. It also seeks to increase the social participation in order to overcome handicap in its different forms. The event looks forward to activate the role of individuals with special needs to make them active and productive members of the society who are enjoying equal opportunities to show their skills and achieve their aspiration in different fields of life. This should be accomplished with equality between the individuals with special needs and their healthy peers.

Brigadier Eng. Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, Director of Traffic and Patrols Directorate and Chairman of the Saaed Society to Reduce Traffic Accidents, said that the initiative comes in line with the Emirati humanitarian work day initiative titled “Love and Loyalty to Zayed the Benevolent.” He noted that it aims to commemorate the memory of the founder of the generous giving march in the UAE.

He said: “the message of the Saaed Society to Reduce Traffic Accidents is not limited to traffic awareness activities. It extends beyond that to supporting charitable and social activities based on the values of generous giving that were set by our higher leadership in the humanitarian field in the UAE and abroad. It also realizes the objectives of the Plants of Hope Initiative launched by Lt. General HH Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Honorary President of the Saaed Society to Reduce Traffic Accidents.”

Al Harithi noted that the Iftar gathering celebrates the genuine Emirati practices and on top of them promoting social ties, solidarity and social participation with different segments of the society especially individuals with special needs. He said that this will lead to strengthening participation and enable the UAE community to provide care and traffic safety.

He thanked the sponsoring entities, and the institutions of the disabled that participated in this Iftar gathering namely: Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs, UAE Red Crescent Authority, Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs-Abu Dhabi and Future Centre for Special Needs.

For his part, Lt. Colonel Jamal Salem Al Ameri, Executive Director of the Saaed Society stressed that Saaed supports the people with special needs to enable them overcome the different kinds of handicap. He emphasized that Saaed gives special attention to this category through its plan that includes awareness-raising and participating in the events related to them, represented by the traffic awareness patrol. This is to be done by organizing lectures that suit their special condition in order to raise the level of their traffic awareness in relation to crossing the road. Another way is to organize traffic exhibitions to enhance their skills and their self-confidence, to show their talents and realize their ambitions in the different fields of life on equal footing with their healthy peers.

Al Ameri gave a comprehensive presentation about the efforts that are done by Saaed under the strategic partnership with the Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police to boost the prospects of the community partnership and the approach of communication with the community with the goal of raising and elevating traffic awareness among all categories of the society.

Lt. Colonel Al Ameri pointed out that Saaed Society participated with the Traffic and Patrols Directorate over the past five months in 2014 in implementing approximately 98 traffic awareness lectures in Abu Dhabi that included schools and establishments in the public and private sectors, benefitting nearly 10,000 people. The Society organized also a traffic awareness campaign in coordination with the Traffic and Patrols Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police and Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations (ADCO) in the Western Region which benefitted nearly 2,000 motorists; in addition to participating with the Traffic and Patrols Directorate in organizing 25 traffic awareness raising points during the holy month of Ramadan.

Al Ameri clarified that the Society works within a strategy that focuses on the effects of traffic accidents in terms of human, economic and social losses that could have negative impacts on all aspects of life. That vision already crystalized in the form of setting up an integrated program of action through which it intensified its participation by means of several activities and events held in Abu Dhabi, as well as organizing awareness lectures that targeted various society segments.

The Sponsors praised the participation in this humanitarian initiative which stands as a moral support to the people with special needs. The initiative came under the Emirati humanitarian work day in memory of the Late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and as acknowledgment of his role in establishing the humanitarian demonstration of giving.

The first Iftar gathering featured several activities which included the display of a 10-minute movie about the achievements of the Saaed Society and the Traffic and Patrols Directorate during 2013, as well as poetry sections, traffic awareness contests and awareness souvenirs.

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The Arabic-language text of this announcement is the official, authoritative version. Translations are provided as an accommodation only, and should be cross-referenced with the Arabic-language text, which is the only version of the text intended to have legal effect.

Contacts

The UAE Minister of Interior's General Secretariat, Tactical Affairs and Security Media Department

Abu Dhabi Police GHQ - Security Media

Chris Cron +971-(0)-50-987-1317

E-mail: cron.media@hotmail.com

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