Grow Play and Discover is a program that allows children to break free from their routine and truly enjoy themselves in a character themed play area. Students are accompanied to Mattel Play! Town by Exchangers to spend a fun filled day with stimulating and engaging experiences with some of the kids’ favorite characters like Barney, Bob the Builder, Angelina Ballerina, Thomas & Friends and Fireman Sam. This activity is a favourite, not only for the kids but for our Exchanger’s who have an equally exciting time, singing along to Barney’s top hits, scaling the heights of the floating planks at Fireman Sam’s, and getting creative with the interactive drawing boards!

The Crafty Ceramics programme is an ongoing activity where students from different schools and centers for children with disabilities can hone their creative skills at Café Ceramique. Session volunteers are paired with students to help channel their inner Picassos. Each student is given pencils, crayons and paint to design on paper and then activate their creations on a plain ceramic mug, plate or jug. The painted creations are then baked in the oven and cooled before being returned to the students to use or gift.

Emirates NBD has partnered with Jamjar, a community art space in Al Quoz, Dubai to provide opportunities for children with disabilities and other disadvantages children to hone their talents and express themselves through art. During these sessions Emirates NBD’s Exchangers partner with students from different schools and centers for children with disabilities to help them explore different painting themes and translate their ideas onto canvas.

Smiles in Motion is a weekly activity where Emirates NBD’s exchangers take to the corridors of Latifa Hospital’s children’s ward to bring smiles to the faces of the hospital’s youngest short- and long-term residents. During these sessions, the Emirates NBD Exchangers engage children through arts and crafts, storytelling and puzzle-making, while also helping with some of the niceties that often get overlooked during long-term stays.

The first ever smiles in motion event involved a back to school bag distribution where children residing in the wards were presented with school bags.

Laughter is the best medicine is a recurring event in partnership with the 4-get-me-not organization the Exchangers will visit different geriatric wards and nursing homes to share some laughter and provide good company to seniors who suffer from Alzheimer’s and Dementia.

Pet lovers is a year-round program wherein Exchangers spend their weekends giving some much needed TLC to the residents of the the Ras Al Khaimah Animal Welfare Centre (RAKAWC), a nonprofit animal welfare organization that socializes, trains and rehomes healthy cats and dogs. To help rehome these loving animals, we have now added an adoption page to our internal site, where employees can search for the perfect cat or dog to give a forever home. This popular activity, first introduced in May, has now been added to the Exchanger’s weekly roster.

Volunteers from across the bank team up to refresh the walls and halls in schools and centres for students with disabilities. This effort helps to enrich the learning environment for students and provides a great opportunity for our employees to work on their team building skills and give back through physical labour.

Now a regular activity, Filipino members of Emirates NBD’s Exchanger community regularly organize visits to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Dubai to bring hygiene bags and good cheer to domestic workers, who are temporarily staying at the Consulate. The residents, all women, are awaiting their return home after having fled domestic violence, many leaving everything behind. After distributing goods, our Exchangers engage the residents with stories, karaoke and Zumba.

Emirates NBD has a year-long volunteer program with the Manzil Center through which groups of Exchangers visit the center 3-4 times a week to participate in activities with the students. These include: storytime, dance classes, Arabic classes, cooking lessons, yoga sessions, classroom maintenance, beading and work-skills development.

Emirates NBD’s Exchangers take charge of the annual SNF and Al Noor Fun Fairs wherein the centres provide arts, crafts and food prepared by their students for sale to raise money for the centers. Exchangers manage and staff the entire event right from stall set-up to the organization of games, sale of food, arts and crafts and arrangements for parking and incidentals.