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Invest in People

“Ahlanwasahlan” began as a community initiative, engaging UAE residents of all backgrounds in activities which aim to bring about a positive social and environmental impact. The phrase “ahlanwasahlan” means “hello and welcome” or “nice to meet you” in English, and the objective is to bring our shared social and environmental responsibility to the forefront of our daily interactions. In addition to our weekly community activities, we conduct primary and secondary research and produce creative campaigns to advocate for social and environmental accountability. We are based in the UAE at the moment but have plans to expand our work regionally and globally, beginning with Egypt. 

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How our work relates to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

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Bring Traditional Warmth To Your Corporate Events This Winter

We provide traditional majlis event setup along with catering and hospitality.

Team Building and Corporate Social Responsibility

Up to 2 service hours
AED 150 per team member

Any one activity from below:

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  1. Beach Cleanup.

  2. Snorkeling/ Kayaking/ SUP Cleanup. 

  3. Desert Cleanup.

  4. Mangroves Cleanup. 

  5. Training: Introduction to Waste Reduction, the Circular Economy and Recycling.

  6. Trip to Landfill Site.

 

Includes: 

- On-site briefing and impact assessment/ SDGs addressed.

- Filtered water and dates. 

 

Excludes: 

- Photo/ video documentation and impact report (available at AED 650)

- Group transportation. 

- Dubai Tourism event permit if needed.

- Catering if needed.

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Open to family members at an additional AED 50 per family member (AED 25 for under 18)

Up to 4 service hours
AED 250 per team member

Any one activity from below:

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  1. Desert Cleanup and Retreat.

  2. Upcycling Workshop (products to be sold and funds donated to a UAE-based charity of your choice).

  3. Introduction to Food Waste Reduction and Home Composting. 

  4. Introduction to Agritech and Water Management: Trip to Local Farm.

  5. Introduction to Emirati Culture, Traditional Arab Hospitality and Standard Arabic Language

 

Includes: 

- On-site briefing and impact assessment/ SDGs addressed.

- Filtered water and dates.

 

Excludes: 

- Photo/ video documentation and impact report (available at AED 1150)

- Group transportation if needed.

- Dubai Tourism event permit if needed.

- Catering if needed.

- Venue rental if needed.

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Open to family members at an additional AED 100 per family member (AED 50 for under 18)

Up to 7 service hours
AED 450 per team member

Any one activity from below:

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  1. Underwater or Ocean Cleanup (Certified Divers).

  2. Coral Reef Restoration or Adoption. 

  3. Two Guided Half Day Eco-Tours (or Hikes) of an Emirate.

  4. Full Day Course on Climate Change, Climate Risk, Renewable Energy, Clean Technology, and Innovative Solutions. 

  5. Full Day Eco-Retreat or Workshops.

 

Includes: 

- On-site briefing and impact assessment/ SDGs addressed.

- Filtered water and dates. 

- Equipment rental for Underwater or Ocean Cleanup.

- Group transportation for Eco Tours.

- Outline and resources for Full Day Course. 

 

Excludes: 

- Photo/ video documentation and impact report (available at AED 2000)

- Dubai Tourism event permit if needed.

- Catering if needed.

- Venue rental if needed.

- Accommodation if needed. 

Up to 15 service hours
AED 1000 per team member

Any one from below:

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  1. Sponsor a Community Underwater Cleanup for 2 Community Members.

  2. Sponsor a Part-Time Employee or an Internship Program for a Week.

  3. Sponsor a Social/ Environmental Public Service Announcement Delivered on Social Media for a Week. 

  4. Sponsor Refreshments and Equipment Maintenance for 8 Community Activities. 

  5. Environmental Auditing of Office/ Workspace with Recommendations.

 

Includes: 

- Photo/ video documentation and impact report.

Equipment rental for Underwater Cleanup.

Take Your Team to the COP27 Host Country on an Eco Retreat

We provide you itinerary options for week-long corporate retreats around Egypt throughout the year.

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2021 Overview

Income AED 85,164

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  • Community Investment + Activity Fees  (AED 2700)

  • Corporate Investment (AED 70,064)

  • Training (AED 12,400)

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Expenses AED 87,266

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  • Outsourced Services (AED 49,516) - diving centers, group transportation, cleanup equipment 

  • Organization Licensing (AED 19,605)

  • Online Marketing (AED 14,754)

  • Inventory (AED 3,391)

  • Salaries (AED 0)

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The organization does not currently pay salaries. We have been keeping our expenses at a minimum and investing our own assets (car, laptop, phone, data, fuel and cash) into this community work. In addition to corporate investment opportunities, in 2022 we are introducing more ways for community members to be involved. 

 

Online marketing is expensive. 17% of our operating expenses were on sponsored social media posts. Currently one month's spend on sponsored social media posts results in a 7-15% monthly increase in our community activity sign-ups. We have increased our community cleanup activity sign-ups by 88% in 2021.

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We organized weekly community cleanups in the UAE since August 2019 (except during the lockdown) until 25 December 2021. In just one month, for example January 2021, that could amount to 5 cleanup activities, i.e. 10-20 documented community service hours per month. 

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We are currently 1532 community member strong (last updated 7 April 2022). 

What we do

Design

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We partner with designers to work on upcycling projects from material otherwise destined to landfill, and host discussions with professionals in fashion, interior design, architecture and other disciplines.

Research & Training

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We partnered with Dubai Future Foundation to host a webinar to share the research done by our interns for the summer of 2020.

Change management

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We partnered with Sharjah Environment Company - Bee'ah, on pilot project for source segregration of waste in Sharjah high rise buildings

Awareness

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We take every opportunity and use different media to raise environmental awareness among community members of different age groups and backgrounds.

Advocacy

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We communicate our concerns to public and private entities and to the wider community in order to advocate for our shared responsibility to develop and adopt better alternatives.

Campaigning

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We communicate our alarming findings in order to bring environmental problems to the forefront of our consciousness.

Events

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We partnered with Step Conference 2020 and Just Salad to offer participants free filtered water, reusables instead of disposables, and collection for composting.

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Workshops

We partnered with Wild & The Moon to offer a vegan karak chai workshop and free filtered water at the Alserkal Avenue Quoz Art Festival 2019.

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Public service

We partner with public and private entities to bring awareness to our shared responsibility towards the environment and those who are employed to care for it.

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