Canon (Canon-me.com), a provider of imaging technologies and services, raised AED 250,000 to support two educational programmes, one in the Middle East and a second in Africa. The funds were raised through sponsors, and the general public who participated in the Canon Day of Giving fundraising event which was recently held at Zaabeel Park in partnership with Dubai Cares.

Canon Day of Giving, which was entirely manpowered by Canon employees, attracted 1200 visitors from across the UAE who supported the fundraising by purchasing coupon booklets to participate in the event’s activities which included a Talent Show, gaming tents with prizes, a kids’ play area, Canon’s own Creative Park arts and crafts station, as well as a Canon Academy Workshop. The event also held raffle draws for a variety of valuable prizes granted by the event’s sponsors and partners.

Mai Youssef, Corporate Communications and Marketing Services Director, Canon Middle East and Canon Central and North Africa, said: “We set a target and we achieved it together. I am grateful for all the visitors and families who came to participate to support this initiative; their kindness is immeasurable. At Canon we believe in the philosophy of ‘Kyosei,’ which means living and working together for the common good, and this was duly demonstrated by the community during the event.”

“Supporting education and personal development initiatives is at the core of Canon’s work in the communities in which we operate. Our aim through this initiative in partnership with Dubai Cares, is to give as many children as possible the opportunity to exercise their right to receive quality education at an early age and to nurture their love of learning through to adulthood. Canon will continue to promote educational initiatives in the region to support the growth and development of the next generation of professionals, educators, leaders, scientists, engineers, artists, and more,” added Youssef.

Speaking about the success of the Canon Giving Day, His Excellency Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer at Dubai Cares said: “We are grateful for Canon and members of the UAE community for their generous contribution aimed at supporting Dubai Cares’ mission. We hope that this joint initiative will be a step towards improving access to and quality of education for thousands of children in the Middle East and Africa. We look forward to building on our mutual ambition to support underprivileged children and young people to realize their full potential and shape the development of their communities.”

In the Middle East, the funds raised will support a two-year Early Childhood Development programme in Jordan aimed at Syrian refugees. Jordan currently hosts the second largest number of Syrian refugees in the world, and the access to education is limited, especially in the age group 5-6 years old. The Early Childhood Development programme will provide children aged 5-6 access to safe, early years education that is supported by education technology through mobile applications which can be accessed by the parents to supplement the learning at home.

In Africa, the funds raised will support an Enhanced Early Years Pre-Service Teacher Training programme in Ghana for the duration of three years. The demand for qualified teachers is increasing across Ghana as enrolment rises, and teachers represent a vital link to improving the quality of education provided to children. The programme will upgrade existing kindergarten classrooms through training and learning resources to support the teachers deliver higher quality, fact-based learning in the classroom.

Canon was honoured to have several sponsors and partners be part of this important initiative to support quality education for children. Canon Day of Giving Gold Sponsors were National Store, Mitsumi and Jamaica Trading Company. The Silver Sponsors were Dubai Internet City, Art Plus and Digital Color Print. Lovin Dubai was the Media Sponsor and Mashreq Bank was the event’s bank partner.

Canon Day of Giving was organised and powered by Max Events Dubai.