Abu Dhabi, UAE -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/07/2014 -- Charity begins at home. Moreover, we all know that to bring about change, you yourself need to be part of it. Princess Arwa Al Qassimi is well aware of this principle and takes every possible opportunity she can find to help people in need. HH Sheikha Arwa Al Qassimi, member of the royal family of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, is renowned for her generous donations and initiatives aimed at uplifting the lives of millions and supporting the cause of numerous NGOs.

India Cares Foundation is one such community, whose sole aim is to fuel financially the noble causes of various NGOs. The India Cares Foundation in its third edition of Food for Change did just that and eventually helped raise a whooping Rs 23.63 lakh for 20 NGOs. This humane endeavour grabbed a great deal of attention and inspired many to be part of such noble cause. The popular Indiranagar Club supported this cause by letting the event set up at their venue. Six top hotels and restaurants, demonstrating their philanthropic motives, contributed food for approximately 450 people. Aartists and well-known personalities were not far behind. SubraMania - the band that features Ambi & Bindu Subramaniam - played their part and performed at this fundraising event in spite of their busy and hectic schedule.

HH Sheikha Arwa Al Qassimi was one of the sponsors of the event so that the NGOs could direct and utilize 100% of the donations for their programmes. This third edition has taken the total funds raised by this event to Rs 95 lakh. The main source of inflow of funds came from individual as well as corporate contributions. "We, India Cares Foundation, are really thankful to Her Highness Sheikha Arwa Al Qassimi for the wonderful support and encouragement she provides for the work we do to promote and raise funds for the small and medium NGOs for whom this is invaluable," said Rajan Narayanan, President, India Cares Foundation.

This was not HH Sheikha Arwa Al Qassimi's first event conducted under her patronage. Earlier in 2012, she supported similar events.

This event is just a baby step when it comes to reaching out to every unfortunate individual around the globe. With many Indians still facing issues like illiteracy, lack of proper medical services, food, shelter, and numerous other issues that plagues of developing nations, much remains to be accomplished to help all those underprivileged to escape impoverishment in the opinion of the sponsor. The organization hopes that they will be able to uplift the existing condition of some people and pull them out of the vicious cycle of poverty.

About Food for Change
Food for change is a fundraiser organized by India Cares Foundation as part of Daan Utsav, India's Festival of Givingthat show cased various NGOs and aided them in raising funds.

For more details about the event and in-depth knowledge, visit http://icfn.in/FFC/ngos/

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Her Highness Sheikha Arwa Al Qassimi served as a sponsor of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Forum on Avoidable Blindness at the Fairmont Hotel in Dubai.

Al Dhafra, Abu Dhabi -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/05/2014 -- Sightsavers is pleased to announce that Her Highness Sheikha Arwa Al Qassimi has officially joined the board. A member of the royal family of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, HH Sheikha Arwa Al Qassimi has previously worked with Food for Change, a fundraising effort to benefit worthy causes of the donor's choice. Based in the UAE but global in its reach, Sightsavers is headed by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth and Community Development.

Her Highness Sheikha Arwa Al Qassimi served as a sponsor of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Forum on Avoidable Blindness at the Fairmont Hotel in Dubai. The forum, opened by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, brought together experts and representatives from fifteen local, regional and international organizations from thirteen countries. More than 200 participants discussed avoidable blindness and the role GCC has in saving and protecting the vision of people in developing countries. The event was organized by Sightsavers Middle East in partnership with the Prevention of Blindness Union (PBU).

The goal of Sightsavers is to apply the latest medical techniques to eradicate preventable and treatable visual disability. Eighty percent of the 39 million blind people in the world have preventable or curable blindness. Sightsavers began in 1950, and has since supported over 262.5 million treatments and 8.1 million operations to restore sight. Noting that the number of blind people might rise to 76 million by 2020, HH Sheikh Nahyan called for building national and community health and medical capacities in different parts of the world to treat diseases causing blindness as well as address the impact of blindness on patients so as to enable them to engage positively in community life.

Early this year, Princess Arwa Al Qassimi worked together with Sightsavers to organize "Ability of Disability – A Night of Melody" in Mumbai. The event showcased the talents of disabled artists and the nationally known Abhijeet Sawant. Her Highness also helped to organize Food for Change, a fundraiser in which global philanthropists gathered to network and contribute to social change through charitable giving. One hundred percent of all donations went to the organization of the donor's choice; beneficiary programs included those geared toward educating children, providing shelter to the elderly, subsidizing medical costs for poor patients, and rehabilitating mentally ill homeless women.

About Sightsavers
Sightsavers is a leading global development agency working in over 30 countries to combat blindness, restore sight and work for the rights and needs of those with irreversible visual impairment. Sightsavers' work in India, which started in 1966, has supported the treatment of millions of persons with eye disorders and brought eye services to some of the least served areas of the country.

In addition, many thousands of irreversibly blind people have received rehabilitation and educational support to enable them to lead lives of independence and dignity.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Abu Dhabi, AE -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/25/2014 -- Her Highness Sheikha Arwa Al Qassimi, member of the royal family of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, has become a member of the board of Sightsavers in the UAE, which is headed by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture, Youth, and Community Development.

Sheikha Arwa Al Qassimi served as a sponsor of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Forum on Avoidable Blindness in October of 2013 at the Fairmont Hotel in Dubai.

The forum, opened by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, brought together experts and representatives from fifteen local, regional, and international organizations from thirteen countries. More than 200 participants discussed avoidable blindness and the role GCC has in saving and protecting the vision of people in developing countries in the event organized by Sightsavers Middle East in partnership with the Prevention of Blindness Union (PBU).

Noting that the number of blind people might rise to 76 million by 2020, HH Sheikh Nahyan called for building national and community health and medical capacities in different parts of the world to treat diseases causing blindness as well as address the impact of blindness on patients so as to enable them engage positively in community life.

Sightsavers works in more than 30 developing countries to prevent blindness, restore sight and advocate for social inclusion and equal rights for people who are blind and visually impaired. Eighty percent of the 39 million blind people in the world have preventable or curable blindness. Sightsavers began in 1950, and has since supported over 262.5 million treatments and 8.1 million operations to restore sight. In addition, many thousands of irreversibly blind people have received rehabilitation and educational support to enable them to lead lives of independence and dignity.

Princess Arwa Al Qassimi previously worked with Sightsavers to organize fundraising events such as "Ability of Disability – A Night of Melody" in Mumbai, which show cased performances by disabled artists and popular national star Abhijeet Sawant.

It is through the dedication and support of individuals including the newest member of the board, HH Sheikha Arwa Al Qassimi, that Sightsavers has been able to affect the lives of so many visually impaired individuals. It is only with the collaboration of individuals and organizations that the goal of eliminating avoidable blindness by 2020 can be achieved. Sightsavers, GCC, PBU, and other organizations are well on their way to achieving that goal.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Abu Dhabi, AE -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/25/2014 -- "Giving is a virtue and the highest level of living for any philanthropist who has made giving a habit. There are more blessings in giving than receiving and all of us have at some point in our lives experienced the urge to reach out to someone who is in need of our help and made a difference in their lives through our support and encouragement. One's true wealth and success is not measured by the earthly treasures acquired during his lifetime but rather the good he does in this world." Said a spokesperson of Food For Change.

Under the patronage of Princess Arwa Al Qassimi, the Food for Change (FfC) was a fundraising event organized by Bangalore Cares that presented a golden opportunity to people to express their love and care for the unfortunate in the society through the noble act of giving. This was a fundraiser where philanthropists from all parts of the world took part and appreciated the approach.

The guests reveled in the joy of being part of a social change with their small individual or corporate contributions of Rs.5000 towards this worthy cause of choice. A hundred percent of all donations were channeled to the organization of the donor's choice. All the funds that were raised were given to NGOs to fund their programs which were geared towards educating children, providing shelter to the elderly, subsidizing medical costs for poor patients, rehabilitating mentally ill homeless women and reaching out to more underprivileged people.

The event provided a vital platform for NGOs to raise funds and indeed, they were the main beneficiaries of the day. In total, 37 NGOs registered for free and amazingly, they raised Rs 22.37 lakh from donations. The NGOs collected at least Rs.5000 from 389 individuals who donated towards this worthy cause. Companies also came forth to participate and contributed a total of Rs.21 lakh that formed part of the Rs.43.37 lakh contributed.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm

Abu Dhabi, AE -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/25/2014 -- Introducing Food for change, sponsored by HH Sheikha Arwa Al Qassimi and organized by Bangalore Cares for the Joy Of Giving Week where one can donate to a cause of their choice and the NGO gets to utilize 100% of the amount.

Under the patronage of Princess Arwa Al Qassimi, the Food for Change (FfC) was a fundraising event organized by Bangalore Cares that presented a golden opportunity to people to express their love and care for the unfortunate in the society through the noble act of giving.

The event presented a golden opportunity to people to express their love and care for the unfortunate in the society through the noble act of giving. This was a function that revealed the true meaning of selfless minds whose social appetite was highly triggered during this event.

The guests revealed in the joy of being part of a social change with their small individual or corporate contributions of Rs.5000 towards this worthy cause of choice. A hundred percent of all donations were channeled to the organization of the donor's choice. All the funds that were raised were given to NGOs to fund their programs which were geared towards educating children, providing shelter to the elderly, subsidizing medical costs for poor patients, rehabilitating mentally ill homeless women and reaching out to more underprivileged people

At the special evening sponsored by Princess Arwa Al Qassimi, the best hotels and restaurants in the city showcased their impeccable culinary talent and skills. There was also electrifying entertainment from eminent artistes all united towards raising funds for over 50 NGOs in Bangalore. The event raised a total of Rs 43.37 Lakh for 30 NGOs.

Some of the top hotels and restaurants of Bangalore that served exquisite food and drink with flawless and elegant presentation services included Caperberry, Fava, ITC Fortune, MGM Mark, Ibis- Novotel, Royal Orchid, Radha Hometel, The Lalit Ashok, The Le Meridian and Zuri.

The event provided a vital platform for NGOs to raise funds and indeed, they were the main beneficiaries of the day. In total, 37 NGOs registered for free and amazingly, they raised Rs 22.37 lakh from donations. The NGOs collected at least Rs.5000 from 389 individuals who donated towards this worthy cause. Companies also came forth to participate and contributed a total of Rs.21 lakh that formed part of the Rs.43.37 lakh contributed.

All the funds that remained from the sponsorship of the event that is, after all the expenses of the event had been financed were distributed to the participating NGOs in proportion to the donations received from individuals. A total of Rs.2.24 lakh was disbursed.

This year's event was successful like never before. Approximately 650 people participated and experienced a unique evening of a lavish spread of varied cuisine from Bangalore's top 5 star restaurants accompanied by fine entertainment of a pleasant mixture of music by Thermal and a Quarter and dance by Lourd Vijay's troupe. This unforgettable gala event also attracted top celebrities from film and corporate India.

For more information on this press release visit: http://www.releasewire.com/press-releases/release-3.htm