Sheikh Khalifa Medical City workers in Abu Dhabi are to benefit from mental wellbeing support as part of separate in-kind contributions from three organisations to the Authority of Social Contribution - Ma’an’s ‘Together We Are Good’ programme
The contributions are part of the ‘Mental Wellbeing Support for Medical Staff’ programme – a new major area of support that covers residents’ basic needs and will complement the existing education support, food supplies and medical services already being offered by the authority to people whose livelihoods have been impacted by the current health and economic situation.
The Hot House Yoga, Abu Dhabi, volunteering group Darkness into Light Abu Dhabi and Aberkyn, McKinsey & Company, have stepped forward to offer their expertise and time to help the vital workforce at this challenging time. Ma’an is delivering the support programme via social enterprises and organisations through its corporate social responsibilities, fulfilling its original founding mandate of empowering the third sector in Abu Dhabi.
As an institution that has been at the centre of treating patients during these unprecedented times in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City was selected by Ma’an to benefit from its contributions in collaboration with Department of health – Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA).
More than 400 employees will now get support by taking part in yoga sessions, and joining support groups designed in a light hearted, engaging methods based on a community and recovery model perspective.
The Hot House Yoga will conduct four sessions per week with six instructors delivering a series of yoga sessions, breathing techniques and meditation that will help reduce the staff’s stress from their daily lives.
Darkness into Light Abu Dhabi is to moderate weekly support group sessions to enhance the mental wellbeing of workers and boost morale by tackling the various challenges, fears and navigating through the situations faced on daily basis and will include guest appearances from the community.
Thirty-two members of staff will also receive dedicated training from two leading experts from Aberkyn, McKinsey & Company through 90-minute sessions on how to build team resilience and deep connections with self and others to remain healthy in relationships in our day to day practice as well as provide renewal, focus and energy.
Pem Fassa, owner of The Hot House Yoga, Abu Dhabi, said, “We appreciate the work the front-line medical workers are doing and the risks they are taking to protect our lives. We are all in this together and if we can help those in need during this challenging period, it’s the least that we can do. This will help them take a load of the minds and bodies.”
The ‘Together We Are Good’ programme is the first project of Ma’an’s Social Fund that allows community contributions to help tackle social challenges. The Social Fund is the official government channel to receive contributions from the community to tackle pressing social challenges.
