FANR’s ‘give-back’ initiative to encourage volunteering

Abu Dhabi / WAM

In support of the 2017 #Year of Giving initiative, launched by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation (FANR), has launched its “Give-Back” initiative which aims to support the pillars of the Year of Giving which include corporate social responsibility (CSR), volunteering, and serving the nation.
FANR’s Give-Back Initiative consists of two pillars, the first of which gives FANR employees the opportunity to volunteer internally by offering their colleagues free training sessions or coaching in different fields and subjects based on their expertise and knowledge, while the second pillar aims to focus on external volunteering by cooperating with non-governmental organizations in the UAE such as the Emirates Red Crescent and other entities that provide volunteering opportunities that enable staff members to contribute to the community.
Salah Al Hashimi, FANR’s Director of Government Communications, said, “As soon as we launched the initiative internally, we received many requests from our staff wanting to be part of this initiative. They felt they can benefit their colleagues using their skills and talents in a variety of fields and interests. We have employees that provide training in first aid, German and Spanish classes as well as presentation and public speaking skills and others.”
“This volunteering opportunity, had a positive impact on our employees’ engagement and social connection. Employees feel satisfied that they are contributing to this cause and ready to do more, they just needed the right platform to do so,” he added.
“We are aiming to reach 500 hours of volunteering this year which is considered significant with an organisation that has just over 200 employees. We are committed to contribute and support the #Year of Giving which was launched by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE,” added Al Hashimi.
“Such volunteering activity is a win-win situation. We have employees who are volunteering without having to leave their work place and an organisation that is benefiting from their employees’ talents and saving money from hiring an outside trainers and agencies. We aim to take this initiate beyond our organisation and share it with the Federal Government once we measure its success,” Al Hashimi concluded.

FANR has also been encouraging its staff to register in the UAE Volunteers’ platform, which was recently launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.