UAE, Jan 5 (Emirates 247): More than 300 patients facing financial difficulties will have their debts paid off by the Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Humanitarian and Scientific Foundation in response to the declaration of 2017 as the Year of Giving by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The move was ordered by Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan, Adviser to the UAE President, and chairman of profit foundation.

The Year of Giving, launched last month, will focus on three main pillars: creating a sense of community responsibility in the private sectors and government institutions; enhancing the spirit of volunteering and encouraging specialised volunteer programmes, as well as instilling loyalty and commitment in the next generation to serve their country.

Dr. Mahmoud Taleb Al Ali, Executive Director of the Sultan bin Khalifa Humanitarian Foundation, highlighted the tradition of generous giving in the UAE and the efforts of the country's leadership in the field of humanitarian work and charity.

He also underlined the importance of declaring 2017 as the Year of Giving and the foundation’s achievements in the UAE and abroad.

"The foundation helps patients suffering from thalassemia, supports specialised medical institutions and provides humanitarian and charitable services to people in poor areas in Asia and Africa," he said.

The foundation, he added, also works in the spheres of education and culture by supporting university students, building libraries inside hospitals, and providing a range of services for universal welfare.

During 2016, declared as the Year of Reading, the foundation adopted built more than 15 reading rooms at a number of hospitals in the UAE.