Photo has been used for illustrative purposes. AFP

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

As part of the ‘Clothing Bank’ project by the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai (IACAD), the amount of used clothes donated, with a total value of Dhs4,454,120, reached 1,113,530 tonnes in the first half of 2019. The “Clothing Bank” project recycles and sells second-hand clothes for tertiary income to support various charitable and humanitarian projects. It is one of the pioneering charitable projects of IACAD as part of its commitment to Article 9 of the 50-Year-Charter launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. In Article 9, His Highness directed to increase philanthropic initiatives every year and grow them by at least an equal percentage of the annual economic growth.

Dr Ahmed Mohammed Al Habtoor, Director of the Office of Zakat and Charity Affairs, said: “The Clothing Bank project is one of the innovative charitable initiatives launched by IACAD which has clocked remarkable achievements. It has clothed over 25,000 children and contributed to more than 200,000 humanitarian cases worldwide. It is a sustainable green initiative, recycling thousands of tonnes of unused clothing and supporting the emirate’s clothing trade, given that Dubai is the world’s second biggest retail destination.”

According to IACAD’s statistics, 471,660 tonnes of used clothes, amounting to Dhs1,886,640, were collected during the first quarter of the year, while 641,870 tonnes of used clothes, amounting to Dhs2,567,480, were collected during the second quarter. Finally, in June, 239,460 tonnes of used clothes valued at Dhs957,840 were collected.

The premise of the “Clothing Bank” project is to distribute about 700 boxes and clothes containers to more than 550 mosques, public squares and residential complexes in the emirate of Dubai. Then, the clothes are recycled and used in supporting philanthropic projects to establish Dubai as a global centre for charity and humanitarian work.

IACAD has a dedicated the toll-free number – 800600 – which is available 24 hours a day to receive feedback from community members on the project.