Dubai-based real estate developer Azizi Developments donated Dh600 million to the Mother’s Endowment Campaign to build a campus that will accommodate more than 5,000 students from kindergarten to Grade 12.
The donation is one of the biggest in the UAE for the initiative launched this Ramadan by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President, Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, for educational purposes on behalf of mothers.
Last year, Azizi Developments donated Dh100 million to the 1 Billion Meals initiative for the eradication of world hunger and malnutrition.
Mirwais Azizi, founder and chairman of Azizi Group, and his son, Farhad Azizi, CEO of Azizi Developments, presented the plans for the donation to Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Mohammed Al Gergawi, Secretary General of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI).
Charity campus
Spread across 800,000 square feet, the educational centre can accommodate more than 5,000 students.
Azizi Developments noted “the school campus will boast indoor and outdoor activities, including football, tennis, basketball, multi-use play courts, and swimming pools. Other amenities include a central learning street to encourage interaction between students and teachers outside formal classroom settings, a state-of-the-art digitized library, media interaction hubs, food technology labs and rooftop hydroponic vegetable gardens, 3D printing facilities, as well as facilities dedicated to entrepreneurship education and development of innovation.”
The campus will be built using photovoltaic panels, recycling water and other sustainable measures to enable it to reach the equivalent of LEED Gold or Sa’fat Gold green building certification.
A 30,000 square feet of retail space will also be developed adjacent to the school plot “to help ensure the school’s financial sustainability.”
Global leader in philanthropy
“Year after year, Dubai’s impact as a global leader in philanthropy, under the inspirational leadership of Sheikh Mohammed is growing. Dubai has also been the cherished home of my family and I for several decades, and having given us so much – from safety to an abundance of opportunities – we take immense pride in being able to contribute to its momentous charitable initiatives,” said Mirwais Azizi.
Azizi Developments is also building a cancer centre, a hospital, a dialysis centre, and the largest orphanage in Afghanistan.
Early this year, the real estate developer announced the start of construction of what is projected to be the second tallest tower in Dubai set for completion by 2028 along Sheikh Zayed Road.