Emirati student Hamda Taryam spends Dhs737,000 to help needy in Africa
People pose in front of Hamda Community Health Center.
Jehan Shoeib, Staff Reporter
Hamda Taryam, 21, an Emirati student of Skyline University College, since her early childhood, has imbibed the virtue of benevolence from the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who made goodness a hallmark of the UAE, the land of humanity and mercy.
She grew up helping the poor, the needy, and the sick, so she never stops searching for them anywhere to fulfil their needs as much as she can.
Hamda knew about a village in Uganda called Masaka, where its people suffer from a lack of education, medical care, food and drinking water. So, she hurried to offer aid to them.
She dug a water well named after her mother, established a classroom in honour of her father, and set up a medical centre named after her.
Speaking to Gulf Today, Hamda said, “Philanthropy is an intrinsic trait of the Emirati people, and an approach we follow, and for me, doing goodness is my main goal, and I work on translating it into reality through various deeds. My ideal is the founding father the late Sheikh Zayed, my father and my mother, as well as my late uncle Dr. Abdullah Omran Taryam, who was one of the most charitable leaders.
"My parents have been urging us since childhood to help people as much as possible. From here, I wanted to offer something to them, in appreciation and recognition of their role in our upbringing and to make them take pride in their daughter. I opened a classroom, which is named after my father, and dug a well that is named after my mother while the medical centre is named after me," said Hamda.
"All these were established from my personal expenditure, which I save from my monthly expenses and my salary from my work in the Industrial Innovation Group. I started developing those projects two years ago, and the total value has reached Dhs737,000 so far, including the value of the land and the medical equipment, excluding other monthly costs such as salaries, medicines, and food for orphaned children.”
The medical centre’s establishment took a year. It consists of 8 main rooms, including a reception room, two maternity rooms, a laboratory, a doctor’s room, a pharmacy, and a clinical room.
The staff consists of a basic doctor, five volunteer doctors, three basic nurses, five volunteers, four laboratory technicians, one cleaning worker and a security guard.
Since its opening in November last year, it has provided medical care for 7,000 cases, including 4,000 women, 2,000 children, and 1,000 men. It also witnessed 35 deliveries and the first baby born in it was named after Hamda. The average number of visitors per day ranges between 30-35 cases.
The classroom accommodates 48 male and female students, who are taught by 3 teachers.
