The 2021 Valentine’s Day celebration calls for collective action from all citizens of the world to reach out and make life better for others as we combat the COVID-19 pandemic, Andrew Laven, Chief Operating Officer, Sahara Energy Resources DMCC Dubai has said.
Sahara Energy is an affiliate of Sahara Group a multinational energy conglomerate with operations in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Sahara recently initiated several activities to mark its 25th anniversary this year.
Speaking while unveiling ‘#Reachoutthisvalentine’ as Sahara Group’s focus for the 2021 Valentine celebration, Laven said cushioning the impact of the pandemic and ultimately defeating the virus required intervention by a “global coalition of responders”.
“What we are witnessing across the globe is unprecedented in terms of the scale of grief and loss on account of the pandemic. When you add to this the fact that simultaneously, the world also must combat hunger, other diseases, and huge human development index gaps, it becomes clear that we must all support of one another. At Sahara Group, we believe that this year’s Valentine celebration presents the perfect platform for us to reach out and give others a reason to smile,” he stated.
Laven said the ‘#Reachoutthisvalentine’ campaign will be celebrated across Sahara Group’s locations in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. This will include employee volunteer activities in the areas of education, health, environment, capacity building, and sundry donations to reinforce the fight against the pandemic. “Sahara Group is delighted to promote this campaign and we urge global participation, ultimately hoping that reaching out to others will be a way of life for individuals, businesses and nations across the globe.”
“In Dubai, we will be supporting the local communities and organisations who are focused on those in greatest need,“ Laven noted,” he added.
The #Reachoutthisvalentine campaign will be coordinated by Sahara Foundation, the corporate responsibility vehicle for Sahara Group. The Sahara Foundation has over the years implemented and supported many projects with over 2,000,000 beneficiaries and operates as a global promoter of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Global updates show that cobvid-19 cases currently stand at over 106,000,000 while more than 2,000,000 people have lost their lives tonthe pandemic.
Sahara Group’s contribution to the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic includes donation of personal protective equipment (PPE), driving Covid-19 awareness and education in sub-Saharan Africa through educational literature in indigenous languages across various countries and leading the delivery of the 300-bed Thisday Dome Isolation and Treatment Centre in Nigeria and donation of medical equipment, including fully equipped world-class Intensive Care Units, to the centre and other medical facilities.
Sahara Group had since 2018 commenced a corporate initiative geared towards devoting the month of February every year to a cause that promotes global well-being. The initiative began with the “GreenLove” campaign in February 2018. The focus then was on safeguarding the well-being of the planet earth that is home to almost 8 billion people. In 2019, the energy conglomerate celebrated #PinkLove to increase cancer awareness. The focus for 2020 was #CleanLoveFeb” where Sahara shed light on the dangers of substance abuse, with an overarching zero-tolerance narrative to make living and staying clean a way of life for everyone.