ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 19th Jul, 2020) The Authority of Social Contribution, Ma’an, today announced "Family Cohesion" as the new theme for the third cycle of its Ma’an Social Incubator Programme, with budding social entrepreneurs encouraged to develop innovative solutions that will enhance the cohesiveness and unity of families in Abu Dhabi.
The topic has been identified by the Department of Community Development, Abu Dhabi as one of the most pressing challenges facing society, noting that the Social Incubator programme will support social start-ups with innovative ideas, strengthen the interactions and create stronger emotional bonding between parents, children, relatives, the elderly and couples across the emirate and highlight the importance of family values.
As part of Ma’an’s commitment to growing the third sector, non-profit associations and social enterprises across Abu Dhabi, social entrepreneurs with innovative ideas have been invited to apply for funding and business development support to tackle one of the pressing social challenges.
As part of the programme, Ma’an will shortlist and support 10 winning social start-ups, who will then undergo a 90-day training programme and develop their innovative and original ideas into business ventures that will make families more cohesive.
Ma’an will invest more than AED2 million in total in this cycle with the successful applicants also having access to milestone-based funding, mentorship, office space, business expertise and investors.
It is the third cycle of the Social Incubator with previous themes focusing on People of Determination and Mental Wellbeing.
The Ma’an Social Incubator was created by the Authority to grow new start-up community-based organisations, non-profit associations and social enterprises for the benefit of people in Abu Dhabi.
Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development, said, "The first Better Life Index, BLI, survey conducted in 2018 indicated that on the topic of strong social relations and family communication in Abu Dhabi, 84 per cent of respondents said they are part of a social support network. This represents a slight difference from the average rate of 89 per cent among BLI respondents surveyed from OECD countries, which reflects the quality of life and the strength of the relationships between members of the Abu Dhabi community."
Director-General of Ma’an, Salama Al Ameemi said, "Statistics show that some elements of family cohesion are in decline in the UAE, with a recent report published by the Abu Dhabi Statistics Centre, ADSC, indicating that the divorce rate is steadily increasing. New statistics released by the ADSC show that 28.5 per cent of marriages ended in divorce within the first 12 months, with 62.2 percent of divorces taking place within the first four years of marriage.
Applications for this cycle are open until the end of August with shortlisted teams invited to pitch to a judging panel in September 2020.
Applicants can apply by visiting https://platform.younoodle.com/competition/maan_2020, and must be based in the UAE, GCC or the middle East and North Africa region and must be 18 and above, living in the UAE, or willing to relocate to Abu Dhabi. Each team will be eligible to receive milestone funding, released at key milestones, as well as a monthly stipend.
