The Abu Dhabi Social Support Authority announced that since launching in January 2019, 3,200 low-income Emirati families have benefitted from phase one of the Abu Dhabi Social Support Programme.

The Programme's core objective is to improve living conditions for low-income Emirati families in Abu Dhabi by providing financial and employability support to partners for family members who can work. It was launched under directives from President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and by order of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council.

In total, 19,248 individuals have now benefitted from the Programme’s support, demonstrating the implementation of the UAE leadership's vision to ensure social stability and financial independence for Abu Dhabi families.

Commenting on the results, Hamad Ali Al Dhaheri, Director-General of the Abu Dhabi Social Support Authority, said, "Our primary focus during the launch period (January – April) was to study all the applications the Programme received thoroughly. Digital integration with various government and financial bodies gave us access to all the information we needed to understand the families who applied. This insight enabled us to begin providing financial support to beneficiaries before the end of Ramadan."

"Supporting these families, and empowering family members who are able to work, is a fundamental part of our wise leadership’s vision to support low-income families and ensure their social stability and financial independence," Al Dhaheri continued, adding that the Programme will continue to receive applications from eligible families in an effort to reach every low-income family in Abu Dhabi.

He praised the Authority’s staff of more than 70 employees, for their hard work and dedication to implement the Programme’s vision to ensure Abu Dhabi families have the support they need to live a dignified life. The Director-General explained that each application was evaluated based on each family’s circumstances against standardised criteria and conditions, most notably, the 'Approved Support Threshold', which was based on studies of Abu Dhabi families’ average incomes and expenditure.

The Abu Dhabi Social Support Programme is part of the Government’s Accelerators Programme, Ghadan 21, falling under the Community Development category. In addition to financial support, and partnership with various government entities, the Programme seeks to empower individuals who can work by helping them to secure jobs which suit their potential and skills. Beneficiaries for this type of support are selected based on criteria such as age and health conditions.

The Programme is one of the numerous offerings available in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, which seeks to provide appropriate housing and free healthcare in the public and private sectors; as well as to subsidise food items and other essential services.

Several UAE citizens expressed their gratitude to the UAE leadership’s continued support through various initiatives, most notably, the Abu Dhabi Social Support Programme.

"We thank our wise leadership for providing us with stability and happiness. Their support is a continuation of the approach which has been in place since the era of our country’s Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed," said Hamda Saeed Al Mansouri. "We are proud of our country and its leadership who care deeply for its citizens and their concerns, seeking first and foremost to ensure we all lead a happy and dignified life."

For his part, Abdullah Al Saadi said, "This is what the late Sheikh Zayed stood for: Helping and supporting everyone. The Founding Father established this approach, and our leadership continues to follow it to this day. The application process is simple: I submitted mine at one of the authorised centres, and someone reached out to me after a few weeks, informing me that my application met the Programme’s criteria and that my family and I will receive financial support."

Another Emirati citizen, Mohammed Rashid Ali, added, "We thank God that we live in such a country where the leadership is always focused on its people, working to meet their basic needs and offering all the necessary support to ensure we have a high quality of life. I am grateful to His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for their directives which launched this outstanding Programme."

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