June 6 ^th, 2010,
Abu Dhabi, UAE

Inspired to lighten up the lives of orphans, Aswaaq took the lead in organizing and hosting an event for 20 youngsters, in which they had a chance to live as an Aswaaq employee for a day. The event that was held recently in collaboration with Awqaf & Minors Affairs Foundation, took place from 5pm - 7pm at the Aswaaq community centre in Nadd Al Hamar, Dubai.

During the event, the children obtained a number of valuable experiences including working at the Aswaaq bakery. With the help of several ‘mentors’ from Aswaaq, the orphans were taught the essentials of preparing pastries and pizzas. They also gave a hand in baking cakes and decorating cupcakes for themselves and Aswaaq customers.

A number of other UAE organizations were eager to share in the joy, like the Emirates Driving Institute which educated the children on how to cross the street, ride the local busses, and other traffic tips to ensure their safety. The day’s amusing atmosphere continued with a special event organized by ‘Kids Corner’ where each child got the chance to dabble with paints and get their favorite cartoon character painted on their face. The event concluded by the generous contribution from Al Farooj Al Tazaj giving delicious meals to all the participating children and Bin Sina Pharmacy providing gifts to brighten the orphan’s day.

“The children’s laughter brings us immense joy and encourages us to host other similar events that help give back to society,” says Abdul Basset Al Janahi, CEO of Aswaaq. “Our customers and partners help make programs like these a reality. It’s amazing to see so many organizations throughout the UAE contributing every day to developing local communities and brining smiles to the faces of the nation’s youth.”

The Orphans day is the latest in a series of Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives launched by Aswaaq at the end of 2009. Aswaaq is working with organizations such as UAE Ministry of Environment & Water to help set up recycling centers and is collaborating with the Ministry of Social Affairs on the “Forsaty” project, creating outlets for marketing goods manufactured by local families through household production. Aswaaq has recently organized a food safety campaign that targets school children from grades 4 – 6 throughout the UAE. The campaign aims to assure Aswaaq’s commitments to quality and safety measures regarding hygiene while encouraging best practices in partnership with local school systems. Also, aswaaq was a silver sponsor of ‘Autism around the World Symposium 2010’ that was held in May.