‘Emirati families’ earn AED60mn through ‘Al Sanaa’ initiative

DUBAI / WAM

The number of Emirati families registered in “Al Sanaa” project affiliated with the Ministry of Community Development increased to 2,805 families of which 476 members are eligible for social security in the ministry.
Around 43 new families were registered during the first half of 2021; whereas the total income earned to these families from the launch of “Al Sanaa” in 2009 up till now is more than AED60 million.
Afra Buhumaid, Director of Productive Families Department at the Ministry of Community Development, stated that the total income of the Emirati productive families who are participating in “Al Sanaa” pavilion at the Global Village since its launch reached AED44.9 million while the income of the families who participate in the exhibitions all over the UAE is AED13.5 million and the total income of permanent exhibitions in several shopping malls reached AED 1.7 million.
She said, “The approximate number of displayed products in “Al Sanaa” pavilion since 2009 up to date reached is 25,000 products; all are provided by 627 productive families of different ages and educational groups satisfying the tastes of the different community members including food products, modern fashion, the finest types of perfumes, clothing and women’s accessories, children’s clothing, as well as household utensils, design tools, decoration and decor items. The products are designed creatively and innovatively that blends the past and the present and meets the desire of all tastes.”
Buhumaid emphasised that the initiative is a development project that supports productive Emirati families, including social security recipients, and people of determination, enabling them to achieve economic and social stability through innovative technical and marketing programmes to set up micro-enterprises. The project aims to spread and deepen the culture of self-employment and self-reliance, create sources of income for poor and middle-class families, transform the largest number of productive families with productive economic enterprises to improve their living conditions, revive heritage-related industries, train them and exploit environmental resources.
The Ministry of Community Development encourages these families to market their products in marketing exhibitions inside and outside the country, and fixed outlets at a number of shopping malls. Additionally, the ministry supports them by establishing electronic platforms, training and refining their skills.
“We continue to support Emirati productive families abroad by participating in exhibitions at Arab and foreign countries. The number of external participations reached 14 aimed at introducing the role of Emirati families and highlighting their economic and development contribution as well as visibility in the local product,” Buhumaid added.
The training courses for productive families are divided into theoretical and vocational courses, designed to give families new skills and experience and refine their talents; the total number of these training programmes reached 471 up to date while the number of participants who attended these courses reached 8,838 with the frequency of some families.
The number of families benefiting from the “Craft” initiative reached 1,122 productive families, of which 175 applied quality standards of their products. The Craft is a complementary initiative for Al Sanaa project, namely, the issuance of a locally certified family product quality standards guide, and the training of these families to apply quality standards, produce distinctive and high-quality products suitable for marketing in the local and gulf market.
The UAE is the first Arab and Gulf country to offer free service to Emirati Productive families that allows them to market their products at marketing outlets by providing stores to sell and market their products free of charge throughout the year.