Masafi launches ‘Thank You’ campaign in partnership with Dubai Cares; Proceeds go towards funding quality primary education programs globally
- How precious is your water bottle?
- Campaign comprises an online charity auction of 1.5 litre water bottle, estimated to become the most precious mineral water bottle in the world
Dubai, UAE – April 11, 2013: In a step that reinforces its commitment to the community, Masafi – one of the region’s leading FMCG brands – announced today at a press conference held in Dubai that it has partnered with UAE-based philanthropic organization, Dubai Cares, for the launch of an innovative fundraising campaign in support of quality primary education.
As part of the ‘Thank You’ campaign, proceeds from the sale of the Masafi water which are sold nationwide and carry the logo of Dubai Cares and the message “On behalf of all the children you’re helping, Thank You” will go towards providing children in developing countries access to quality primary education.
The campaign will also witness the online auction of a 1.5 litre natural mineral water bottle – the first-of-its-kind online philanthropic auction for a bottle of natural mineral water – running till June 30, 2013 and benefiting Dubai Cares’ programs globally. Bidders and donors can log on to www.mostpreciouswater.com in order to participate in the online auction, and bid for the bottle – estimated to become the most precious mineral water bottle in the world.
Those who are outbid in the auction have the option of donating the bid amount to Dubai Cares through the auction site. Details about the online philanthropic auction and its mechanics were also unveiled at the event.
Talking about the partnership, Mr Reginald Randall, CEO of Masafi, said: “We are privileged to be part of this noble cause. Dubai Cares is playing a pivotal role in supporting primary education programs in developing countries, and we are happy to be supporting them through this campaign. This is a small step towards a World of Good, a value that we at Masafi so proudly espouse.”
He added: “Over the years, Masafi has supported numerous social, sports and community initiatives and is always ready to go the extra mile towards a better tomorrow for the people and society, reinforcing our reputation as a socially responsible company. This campaign with Dubai Cares is another move in this direction.”
During the press conference, Tariq Al Gurg, Chief Executive Officer of Dubai Cares said: “We are pleased to partner with Masafi, one of the UAE’s biggest brands, to bring to the UAE community a new and innovative fundraising initiative. Creative campaigns such as this, which bring together the private sector, non-government organizations and the UAE community, are an example of collaborations that can create long-lasting impact in the lives of underprivileged children, their families and their communities, globally.”
The online auction begins with a base bidding option of AED1.50 for the 1.5 litre bottle, and the bidders are encouraged to continue bidding and donating for the cause. The requisite security features have been deployed to ensure secure communication between the bidder and the auction site. Visitors to the site have the option of taking part by either directly donating to the cause, showing their support with a ‘like’ or by making a bid.
The mechanics of the auction are as below:
Bidders enter their user information and make their bids. User authenticity is verified via e-mail and also includes a credit card verification process using Dubai Government’s e-Pay Facility.
All donations will be processed using the same payment method. No payment details will be saved on the site’s database.
The auction site will track the total number of likes, bids and donations while keeping track of the current winning bid.
The names of the bidders will not be displayed on the site during the auction process.
The auction is being actively marketed on various social media channels to engage as many people as possible in this initiative. Visitors to the site are also encouraged to share the initiative with their friends via Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
“We take pride in being known as a respected, trustworthy and socially responsible company and our actions are guided by a series of business principles. We are dependent on nature to continue to deliver the water that our consumers love. Thus, our CSR initiatives focus on people – evident on our engagement in this initiative,” added Mr Randall.
Since its inception, Masafi has always acted in a socially responsible manner and has remained committed to the environment in which it operates. It has always cared for the environment and has time and again unveiled initiatives which reflects its resolve to go the extra mile towards a better tomorrow for the people and society.
Launched in September 2007 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dubai Cares is a philanthropic organization working to improve access to quality primary education for children in developing countries. Education is a critical factor in every child’s development. Yet, millions of children around the world, particularly in developing countries, do not have access to quality primary education.
About Masafi:
Masafi, the leading producer of pure natural mineral water in the entire Gulf, was established in 1976 with a paid-up capital of approximately $5.5 million. The company has retained its market leadership for over three decades by providing world-class products which are renowned for their pure natural freshness. This has seen Masafi become the premium reference for bottled mineral water in the entire region. In the process, it has built an extremely strong distribution network to consistently deliver to dynamic market requirements and has continuously upgraded its state-of-the-art equipment to keep pace with technological advances around the globe.
Being a leading brand that delivers to consumer needs, Masafi’s wide product portfolio includes Pure, Natural Mineral Water, Tissues, Juices, Flavored Water, Basmati Rice and Gourmet (Chips). The mineral water product line comes in bottles of 1.5 litres, 1 litre, 500ml, 330ml (regular and sports) 4 gallon bottles, 330ml kids packaging (regular and sports); mineral water cups in sizes of 250ml, 200ml, and 125ml. All Masafi product bottles are 100 per cent recyclable and only for one-time-use. The tissue line includes boutique fragrant tissues in four scents, floral tissues in purple, pink and green colors, and car tissue boxes. Masafi leads the UAE market in the Brand Equity Index in the water and tissue categories. The hugely popular Masafi Juices come in an array of original flavors and rich fruit blends available in 2 litre, 1 litre and 200ml bottles and a 100% juice blend tetra pack product line. The flavored water is available in four flavors — strawberry, lemon, peach and mint & lemon in 500ml sizes. The Gourmet potato chips come in five flavours – sea salt, sweet chilly, ‘four cheese’, salt & vinegar and Labneh & Zaatar. The 100% natural Masafi Premium Basmati Rice is the finest quality basmati offering an unique aroma, authentic taste and pure goodness.
The company was the first recipient of the ISO 9002 certification in the entire Middle East and was awarded the ISO 9001:2000 certification for developing and maintaining a high standard Quality Management System. Masafi has also been awarded the HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) certification. Masafi is also a member of International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) and Asia Bottled Water Association (ABWA). Masafi Water is tested and approved by NSF International, USA, which carries out annual unprompted audits on behalf of IBWA. Masafi is the first mineral water company in the region to be awarded the prestigious ISO 14001 certification for Environmental Management.
About Dubai Cares:
Dubai Cares, a UAE-based philanthropic organization, was launched in September 2007 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to improve children’s access to primary education in developing countries.
Dubai Cares works with organizations such as The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Care International, GAIN, Global Network, Oxfam GB, Plan International, Room to Read, Save the Children, Scholastic and UNICEF. It implements comprehensive primary education programs in 28 countries and communities including Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chad, Comoros Islands, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Nepal, Niger, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Pakistan, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Yemen, and with Palestinian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon, to help reach by 2015, the United Nations Millennium Development (UN MDG) Goals 2,3 and 8 of guaranteeing universal primary education, promoting gender equality and forging a global partnership for development, respectively. To learn more, please visit www.dubaicares.ae
