“Madar” transforms 7,500 beneficiaries of social support into productive individuals

The Ministry of Community Empowerment launched the “Madar” Social Empowerment Program, which is considered an integrated national platform aimed at transforming beneficiaries of social support into productive individuals who contribute to building and developing society by developing their capabilities and opening sustainable paths for work and production.

The program comes within a national trend that seeks to move from dependence on support to socially and economically empowered individuals, thus enhancing their quality of life, financial independence, and the stability of their families.

The program directs productive beneficiaries to vital empowerment paths that suit their needs and readiness, including the “Vocational Empowerment” path, which aims to qualify beneficiaries for the labor market through training, skills development, and linking to employment opportunities, and the “Empowering Entrepreneurs from Emirati Families” path, which works to support the establishment and development of small and home-based projects to enhance the economic independence of families, in addition to the “Financial Literacy” path.

Assistant Undersecretary for the Social Support and Empowerment Sector, Nour Belhoul, said that the “Madar” program embodies the vision of the UAE, which is based on investing in people and establishing an integrated and stimulating development model to unleash energies, build capabilities, and expand and explore opportunities. It also reflects the commitment of the Ministry of Community Empowerment to continue launching and developing sustainable programs of protection and social empowerment by adopting qualitative and innovative initiatives that support transforming social support into an integrated and effective development path that enhances the contribution of individuals to the national economy and supports the achievement of the state’s goals in comprehensive development.

She added: “In partnership with strategic bodies such as the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation and the Emirati Cadres Competitiveness Council through the “Nafis” programme, the “Madar” program supports the “vocational empowerment” path of citizens to enhance their readiness and align their skills and abilities with the labor market, which contributes to accelerating their transition from dependence on social support to achieving financial stability and enabling them to access suitable and sustainable job opportunities that meet their ambitions and aspirations.

She stated that “Madar” targets approximately 7,500 non-working people who are beneficiaries of social support and are able to work, between the ages of 21 and 54 years. The program is based on rehabilitation, training, vocational guidance and job matching, leading to providing appropriate job opportunities that support their financial independence, in addition to enhancing the work culture, productivity and reliance on capabilities and competencies.

She pointed out that the “vocational empowerment” path took into account the exclusion of 5 categories because they were not compatible with the conditions for joining the labor market, and they include children and students under the age of 21, in addition to mothers who are custodians of children under 6 years old, or children of the category of people of determination under 21 years of age, the category of people of determination, cases of health disability, and senior citizens, all the way to the category of retirees from work who do not meet the conditions for professional empowerment.

She explained that the path is characterized by its flexibility and its consideration of the social and family circumstances of the beneficiaries by ensuring that job opportunities are compatible with their capabilities and circumstances, with the aim of providing a supportive environment that enhances the chances of success and continuity, as it takes into account the geographical distance to the workplace (a maximum of 100 kilometers), and exceptions are made for mothers with custodial children under the age of six, as well as taking into account the conditions of those who have obligations to care for individuals of determination.

Belhoul confirmed that the Ministry will continue to disburse the amount of social support allocated to the beneficiary unless a suitable job opportunity is available to him that is compatible with his abilities and qualifications, based on its responsibility and main role in supporting and enabling him to obtain an appropriate job that achieves social and economic stability and professional sustainability.

The Director of the Social and Economic Empowerment Department, Ahlam Al-Ahmad, explained that the Ministry, through the “Professional Empowerment” path, adopts an integrated empowerment journey that begins with the enrollment and activation stage, which is the basis for ensuring the beneficiary’s readiness to benefit from it, as the requirements for registration and activation are completed, signing the acknowledgment, and registering on the “Nafs” platform, which allows building an integrated professional file that paves the way for the transition to the subsequent stages, which includes the stage of assessing professional readiness, building capabilities, and developing skills, leading to job matching and employment, then the stage of job stability and economic sustainability, while this journey was designed according to an approach that ensures that the needs are met. Beneficiaries and labor market requirements at the same time, which enhances their chances of success and professional continuity in the long term.

She explained that the path attaches special importance to job stability as a key indicator of the success of professional empowerment efforts, as beneficiaries are nominated for jobs based on criteria whose qualifications are compatible with the needs of the labor market and commensurate with their abilities. It also ensures that the total salary he obtains from the job offered to him is higher than the value of the social support he receives, and if the offer is lower, the client has the right to reject the job opportunity.

The Ministry will follow up on the level of performance of the program’s beneficiaries after they are employed for a full year to ensure that they continue on their professional path and enhance their economic growth opportunities by following up on indicators of job stability and benefiting from the available support and motivation programs in a way that contributes to achieving a sustainable development impact that reflects positively on the individual, family and society.