Emirates and Government - Essay Example

Emirates and Government: Emirates Airline Foundation Name Institution Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Background and roles and responsibilities 3 Structure, Composition and decision making 4 Financial Management 5 Current projects 7 Impacts 7 Conclusion 9 References 10 Introduction Non governmental organizations play vital roles in improving the lives of people both locally, nationally and internally. They are formed to perform a wide range of humanitarian functions and services. In the United Arab Emirates, NGO’s are normally known as societies and associations for public welfare and even though the sector is comparatively small, it entails several wealthy charitable organizations, which operate globally (Abed & Hellyer, 2007). Emirates Airline Foundation is a UAE based non governmental organization established by the Emirates Group to improve the welfare of children from disadvantaged families. The goal of the Foundation is to improve children’s quality of life through providing food, housing education and medical services. Background and roles and responsibilities Emirates airline foundation is a non governmental, not for profit charity organization based in UAE. The foundation was established in February 2003 by Emirates Group and offers philanthropic, humanitarian services for needy children in UAE, with minimum administrative costs. Since its establishment the company has operated both in UAE and across the globe offering basic needs to children from deprived families. The organization aims at improving the quality of young people, in spite of geographical, religious or political boundaries, and to assist them improve or maintain their human dignity. The major aim of the foundation is to assist disadvantaged children to recognize their full capabilities through offering them with basics such as medicine, housing, education and food (The Emirates Group, 2012). Focusing mainly on children living in severe poverty, the organization, which is mainly composed of volunteer employees as well as Emirates Group friends, endeavors to minimize diseases along with childhood mortality rates. The organization plays a crucial role in helping and supporting children from across the globe that need a helping hand and the it therefore strives to positively change the lives of these children (The Emirates Group, 2012). As a non governmental organization, the Emirates Airline Foundation works under governmental regulation. According to Noack (2005), non-governmental organizations in the UAE are governed by federal laws. The 2008 federal law number two in respect to the associations of public welfare and national associations provides and defines a framework for the civic wellbeing organizations operating in UAE. The organization is also regulated by ministry of labour and social affairs. Structure, Composition and decision making According to The Emirates Group ( 2012), the organization is headed by a board of directors, composed of senior management of the Emirates group. The board of directors makes decisions on what projects they target with finances, which passengers assist to build via their generous donations, and also through the organization’s scheme to collect loose overseas currency. Existing projects as well as new initiatives are situated majorly at destinations of Emirates where local staff volunteers of the organization can take part and oversee the management of these projects, together with any help that local communities might offer. The board of directors of the organization, comprised of volunteer retirees and senior management, meets frequently to review collection quantities and allotment of the Skywards miles and expenditures, take stocks and make decisions on novel projects with the objective of assisting the maximum figure of children at lowest administrative costs. According to Metcalfe & Fouad (2007), every non governmental organization in the UAE is required to have a board of management to undertake its activities and to offer the means essential to involve it its affairs and achieve its set goals. Board of at Emirates Airline foundation oversees the activities of the organization, including management of the management and volunteers and monitoring of ongoing projects. The ministry views NGOs as voluntary groups which nations are judged by globally and should thus subjected to governing regulations to ensure that they undertake their activities in the right way. Financial Management The company was established with permission from the government of Dubai and there is a both external and external review of the accounts. The objective of the organization is to utilize majority of the donated money exclusively from the needy children and allocation of a small amount of the funds to administrative costs. The way the funds are utilized is frequently audited by the internal audit department and finance department of the Emirates group, whilst the accounts of the organization are also audited from a firm outside the organization (The Emirates Group, 2012). Emirates Airlines Foundation gets its finance mainly from well wishers and financing collecting programmes that the company uses. The organization prepares its budget based on the finances it currently have and projected donations and on basis of the projects being funded. Funding is usually directed to major areas of the children needs like food, vaccinations and medicine, education, housing and teaching materials note that non governmental organizations are supposed to be accountable to both the government and donors on the way they use the funds (Hulme &Edwards, 2005). The Emirates Airline Foundation submits its yearly financial report to the ministry of labour and social affairs. According to Menifield (2009), non-governmental organizations in the UAE which are commonly referred to as public welfare associations or societies are needed to submit yearly financial accounts to ministry of labour and social affairs after its approval by the management of the organization. In addition, the department of Islamic affairs and charitable activities needs the NGOs it registers to offer yearly reports of their activities together with fiscal accounts and the department reviews the account of each organization. Abed and Hellyer (2007) note that the ministry of labour and social affairs have the responsibility of supervising societies for public benefit and registering them as well as offering them with the required technical support. So as to accomplish this objective, the ministry has passed laws and issued regulations to control the work of the non governmental organizations, those working in the organizations, and their management. The Emirates Airline Foundation is subject to supervision by ministry of labor and social affairs in regard to financial management and affairs. According to Hulme and Edwards, (2005), non governmental organizations operating in the UAE are subject to supervision of UAE’s ministry of labour and social affairs in respect of their fiscal affairs, so as to make sure that there is appropriate regulation exercised over their finances that that asset and financial resources are appropriately utilized for the projects and objectives laid down by the particular organization. Increased budgets’ transparency and outcomes measurement is a portion of financial decision making procedure for both NGOs and public organizations (Anheier & Oepler, 2006). Current projects The Emirates Airline Foundation has several projects which are aimed at assisting needy children. The organization’s projects are based in UAE and span the globe from Africa to India, entailing Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The organization aims at increasing its presence in markets where Emirates Airlines fly and to reinforce local societies through investing in future of needy children. The Foundation is currently operating several projects such as the Emirates friendship hospital. The Emirates-CHES home, Emirates-AIM for Seva student home for young girls and supporting Dubai children have special needs (The Emirates Airline Foundation, 2011). The organization continues to offer support to its two flagship projects; the emirates airline foundation friendship hospital ship in Bangladesh and Emirates airline foundation community health education society orphanage for children affected by AIDS in India. The organization is currently sponsoring construction of a hostel for girls along with an administration block for community health education society. Another important project that the company is undertaking is the Indian Emirates AIM for Seva home, which aims at housing and supporting young girls from family backgrounds which lack access to medical care or schooling (The Emirates Airline Foundation, 2010). Dubai based charities that the organization have been supporting fiscally and with the Skywards Miles include the Safe Center for Autism and Asperger’s syndrome, Kharja Society as well as Al Noor School for kids with special needs. Impacts The Emirates Airlines Foundation have positively transformed the lives of needy children in UAE and around the globe through providing food, education, housing and medical services. According to The Emirates Airline Foundation (2009), caring and compassion for needy children are moral necessities and the organization looks for schemes through which to give support to these children. Since its establishment in 2003, the organization has done good work in helping needy children. The organization believes that every kid requires protection from illness and each kid deserves to live happily without pain. The organization has provided healthcare to kids in need via projects such as Emirates friendship hospital in Bangladesh as well as other projects in the UAE. The organization has also funded therapy supplies, medical equipments and built and refurbished old hospitals and offered wellness services. In addition, the organization has offered numerous Skyward Miles to medical practitioners on philanthropic missions with the aim of exchanging the Miles for the air tickets. The organization ensures that healthcare is made accessible to numerous of the most deprived children in UAE and across the globe. The non-governmental organization has improved the live of many needy children through providing better housing. The Emirates Airline Foundation (2009) argues that the organization believes that every kid deserves a secure place as a home and the organization strives to offer security and safety for poor children through offering them with a good house. Having good housing have provided the children with a foundation from which they can utilize to acquire employment, education and prosperity. The organization has also financed sanatorium s where abandoned kids affected with HIV and AIDS have attained care and shelter. In order to ensure that the most disadvantaged children in UAE and in other countries across the globe lives a health live away from malnutrition and nutrition related diseases, the organization has been provided balanced diet food to these children, a thing that has greatly helped them through preventing mortality from malnutrition and diseases. The Foundation deems that no kid deserves to be hungry and it owes each kid the primary right of sufficient nourishment. The organization have aimed at preventing kids going hungry trough offering them with the means to primary nutritional requirements and the charitable organization have realized that whilst many people take food for granted, numerous kids in UAE and across the globe go for days without adequate water and food. The organization has thus reached out to the disadvantaged children through paying for the food supplies at the numerous charities across the organization’s network (The Emirates Airline Foundation, 2009). Education is the key to success and Emirates Airline foundation have transformed the lives of many deprived children through proving them with education. The organization believes that each kid deserves an opportunity to study along with the opportunity to develop their full potential (The Emirates Airline Foundation, 2009). The foundation have offered the resources required to educate disadvantaged kids to enable them to create the tolls for brighter future since for majority of children, education is a key way of getting out of poverty. The organization has reached out to deserving children through funding schools, supplies and education programmes. Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that Emirates Airline Foundation is a reputable non governmental organization that has positively transformed the lives of disadvantaged children. Based in UAE, the company aims at improving the well being of children through providing good education, housing, food and medical services. The organization uses several projects which ensures that needy children have access to basic needs such as construction of hospitals, children’s homes and funding of food supplies. The activities of the organizations are overseen by the board of directors comprised of Emirates Group’s senior management and the board makes decisions on funding of the numerous projects. References Abed, I, & hellyer, P., (2007). The United Arab Emirates year book 2006. Dubai: Trident Pres Ltd. Anheier, H., & Oepler, S., (2006). International encyclopedia of civil society, volume 1. New York: Springer. Hulme D., & Edwards, M., (2005). Non-governmental organizations- performance and accountability beyond the magic bullet. London: Routledge. Menifield, C., (2009). Comparative public budgeting: A global perspective. London: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Metcalfe, B & Fouad, L., (2007). Leadership development in the Middle East. New York: Edward Elgar Publishers. Noack, S., (2005). Doing business in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates. New York: GRIN Verlag. The Emirates Group( 2012). The Emirates Airline Foundation. Retrieved on November 20, 2012 from Read More