International Family Day Activities Celebrated Tonight in Fujairah

Fujairah Family Fun

The Fujairah Municipality is sponsoring tonight an evening of entertainment, competitions and fun for all members of the family.

It commences at 5pm on Thursday 19 May 2011 at Fujairah’s Al Bustan Hall.

International Family Day

The International Day of Families is a United Nations initiative and this year it is held on 15 May 2011.

Countries and states take a flexible approach and celebrate the day when it seems to best fit the local calendar.

2011 Theme

Since 1996 each year has a theme worked out by the UN.

In 2011 the theme is Confronting Family Poverty and Social Exclusion.

Annual Message

Here is the message (in English) for this year given by the UN Secretary General:

(Here it is in Arabic).

Far too many families endure chronic, punishing hardship. Lacking jobs and the means to make ends meet, adults are unable to provide adequate nutrition for children, leaving them with lifelong physical and cognitive scars. Other family members can suffer neglect and deprivation. Poverty continues to claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of women each year in childbirth.

Social exclusion is often at the root of the problem. Discrimination and unequal access to social services deprive families of the opportunity to plan a better future for their children.

Certain types of families are at particular risk, including large families, single parent families, families where the main breadwinners are unemployed or suffer from illness or disability, families with members who suffer discrimination based on sexual orientation, and families living in urban slums or rural areas. Indigenous and migrant families, as well as those living through conflict or unrest, are also on the front lines of marginalization and deprivation.

A number of governments have adopted family-focused strategies, including cash transfer programmes, child allowances, tax incentives and specific gender and child sensitive social protection measures. An expansion of these policies, which can improve the nutrition and educational status of children, can help end cycles of poverty that persist across generations.

On this International Day of Families, let us resolve to support families as they nurture the young, care for the old and foster strong communities built on tolerance and dignity for all.

Thanks to the Fujairah Municipality for this initiative. Shukran Jazeelan!

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: The picture is by 14 year old Juehao Wu, USA and it was recognized in the UN International Children’s Art Competition. It has this caption:

“Poverty occurs all around the world. It is serious but there are many ways to end it. Such ways include a better education for the future generation, good agriculture to prevent starvation by planting more crops, getting loans from banks to start more businesses and provide more job opportunities. Last but not least, we have to avoid warfare and violence. Poverty has affected many generations negatively, including ours, and right now, it is all up to us to end poverty and make the world a better place to live.”

Fujairah’s Fortune Royal Hotel Celebrates Official Opening

The Fortune Royal Hotel on Fujairah’s Al Gurfa Road had a ‘soft start’ in April but now with its Taravad Family Restaurant open for business the official opening is scheduled for tonight (Thursday 19 May 2011).

Celebrations

The cutting of a cake in the lobby will commence the proceedings at 7pm and this will be followed by a grand tour of the hotel facilities.

Invited guests will enjoy a festive meal in two dining areas—Freddy’s Restaurant, which looks out over the sea and the Taravad Restaurant, which looks out to the Hajar Mountains.

Celebrities

To add to the festivities two well-known personalities have flown in for the grand opening—Rima Kallingal from Kerala and Pooja Gandhi from Kannada.

Rima Kallingal is a model and Malayalam film actress. She was named first runner up in the Miss Kerala 2008 context. She made her film debut in 2009 in the film Ritu and has starred in a dozen Malayalam and Tamil films.

Pooja Gandhi, also known as Sanjana Gandhi, is an actress who commenced her career in a Bengali film and now has starred in over 35 films, most of which have come out of Kannada.

Further

More details about the Fortune Royal Hotel, its facilities, pictures, menus for download and contact information have been posted at this link:

Why Visit the New Fortune Royal Hotel in Fujairah, FIF, 13 April 2011.

Update: Congratulations and Celebrations at Opening of Fujairah’s Fortune Royal Hotel, FIF, 20 May 2011.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Farming in Fujairah and the UAE

Founder of Organic Food and Café, Nils El Accad, wants to see good food produced in the UAE in a sustainable way with the lowest ecological footprint.

Accad is alarmed at the cost of providing water (from the ground or by desalination) but he sees potential for greater farming on the fertile soils of Fujairah and the UAE’s East Coast.

Link

Nils El Accad, The Pros and Cons of Local farming, Hotelier ME, 18 May 2011.

Related

Vivian Salama, UAE Examines Farm Future, The National, 19 October 2008.

Fujairah to Host Workshop on Wetlands & Ramsar Convention for Region

A Workshop on Wetlands and the Ramsar Convention for countries in the West Asia region is being held next week, 23 to 26 May 2011, at Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, Fujairah.

Auspices

The workshop is being held under the patronage of the Fujairah Crown Prince, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi.

It is hosted by the Environment Protection and Development Department of Fujairah.

It is organized by the department, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat and the EWS-WWF.

It is supported by the Ministry of Environment and Water (MOEW) of the UAE, the Secretariat of the League of Arab States and the UNEP-ROWA.

First for UAE

This will be the first workshop dedicated to the study and protection of wetlands to be conducted in the United Arab Emirates.

The purpose of the workshop is to develop the capacity and expertise of those who manage wetlands and increase their knowledge of this task as it is performed throughout the region.

Participants

Those expected to attend the workshop in Fujairah are the site managers and overseers of wetlands from the invited countries which include the GCC nations, Iran and the Arabic speaking countries of North Africa such as Egypt, Tunisia and Algeria.

Topics and Themes

More than 30 scientific papers will be presented during the workshop and this will be supplemented by documentaries and displays in the way of case studies on wetlands of the region.

The main topics to be discussed will include:

• The wise use of wetlands
• The involvement of local communities in wetlands
• The socio-economic benefits of wetlands
• The importance of having national committees to oversee issues related to the conservation of natural resources
• How to develop processes and legislation to support and protect bio-diversity
• The Ramsar Convention and its role in directing and supporting various parties to encourage the development of legislation and practices relating to the wise use and management of wetlands.

Exhibitions

On the side of the workshop will be photos and information that tell the story of Fujairah’s Wadi Wurayah as well as a focus on a Ramsar certified site in Jordan.

Field Visits

Built into the workshop will be field visits to the Wadi Wurayah National Park in Fujairah and the Ras Al Khor reserve in Dubai which are the only two Ramsar certified sites in the UAE.

There are currently 1,932 Ramsar certified sites in the world.

Fujairah Developments

Hopefully this workshop sponsored by Fujairah might give an impetus to new local and national environmental initiatives.

Already Fujairah has four marine protected areas (declared by Emiri decree in 1995) and the one mountain site at Wadi Wurayah (declared a protected park in 2009 by the Fujairah Ruler and gaining Ramsar certification in 2010). One development that is envisaged is to form an over-arching network of Fujairah’s protected sites.

Beyond this is an idea to develop a network of protected sites across the UAE in order to encourage the effective protection and management and as a way of seeking common standards. Currently there is a national committee for biodiversity but as yet there is not a national committee with the focus on the wetlands of the UAE.

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

According to its website:

“The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, called the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for national action and international cooperation for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources.”

“The Ramsar Convention is the only global environmental treaty that deals with a particular ecosystem.”

Bad News

Unfortunately half of the world’s wetlands have already been destroyed.

Good News

Through the Ramsar movement there is a growing awareness about the precious resources of the wetlands and international support being given through such workshops as will be staged in Fujairah next week.

Take a Look

Check out this short video on the importance of wetlands or view this longer version.

Download the Programme

To get a more detailed look at the Draft [this may change!] Summary Program of the Workshop on Wetlands and the Ramsar Convention in West Asia (23-26 May 2011) at Fujairah’s Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort follow this link.

Related

Photo Shooting Fujairah’s Wadi Wurayah, FIF, 19 April 2011.

Visiting Fujairah’s Wadi Wurayah During and After Storms and Floods, FIF, 18 April 2011.

Michel Roggo’s ‘Desert Water’ Photo Exhibition of Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah, UAE, FIF, 13 April 2011.

Swedish Princess and Emirati Prince Make a Right Royal Visit in Fujairah, FIF, 20 January 2011.

The Royal Treatment for Wadi Wurayah, Fujairah, FIF, 19 January 2011.

Resources for Visiting Wadi Wurayah in Fujairah, UAE, FIF, 17 May 2010.

How Do We Get to Wadi Wurayah? FIF, 19 May 2009.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: A shallow pool teeming with life at Fujairah’s Wadi Wurayah.

HCT Fujairah Students Hold Math Fair for Local Schools

HCT Press Release

HCT-Fujairah recently gave the opportunity for many of its students to hold their very own math activity event.

‘Math Fair’ was organized and presented by first year Bachelor Degree students and formed part of an ongoing project in connection with their own math studies.

From 8am to 2pm, the students offered visiting students from government and private academies on the east coast of the UAE the opportunity to visit Fujairah Women's College; and have fun trying to solve mathematical puzzles and challenges in the college's multi-purpose hall. First year foundation students from HCT-Fujairah were also invited to participate in the fun challenges.

Community College

The event highlighted HCT-Fujairah's primary role within the community and provided an insight into college life for so many prospective students who may decide to study at HCT-Fujairah.

Skills into Practice

It also provided the bachelor students with the opportunity to assess and reflect on their own studies and achievements, as Krystyna Krol, Chair of the Bachelor Programs at HCT-Fujairah pointed out. She said, "The event gave our current bachelor students a great chance to put their skills and knowledge into practice."

Building Relationships

One of the bachelor students that took part in the event, Fatmah Hassan Almulla, said "It gave us the opportunity to build relationships with other students at the schools and challenged us to create puzzles that would be fun to try."

HCT-Fujairah had 7 schools (145 secondary students) participate in the fair and also the Foundations, Diploma and upper BAS students who visited.

Schools Hosted

St. Mary's Catholic School - Fujairah

Our Own English High School - Fujairah

Fujairah Scientific Academy - Fujairah

Al Shafaa Girl's School - Kalba

Murbha Girl's School - Murbha

Salma Bint Qais Girl's School - Dibba

Al Hissan Institute of Applied Technology (IAT) - Fujairah

Students had a chance to participate in the Team Competition and then during the second half of the Math Fair they visited individual stands and tried to solve the puzzles.

Team Competition Results

1^st: St Mary's (Merine/Salwa/Rifah/Fiza/Shriya)

2^nd: Our Own English (Zaheer/Saif/Ronald)

3^rd: Our Own English (Swaroop/Akhil/Basith/Jeffin/Abdul)

4^th: IAT (Hassan/Abdullah/Ahmed/Khaled/Abdulrhaman)

5^th: Our Own English (Prabhakan/Davis/Nihad/Akshay)

5^th: Our Own English (Hafsah/Gayathi/Aishwaraya)

5^th: St Mary's (Shamma/Rameen/Rafah/Sumaiya/Dalia)

Special Mention

Fujairah Scientific Academy (Marwa/Esraa/Noora/Nadia/Aiya)

Salma Bint Quais (Aya/Mariam/Manal/Amani)

Al Shifaa (Amna/Fatima/Jahwer/Farah/Maitha)

Individual Puzzlers Award

Zaheer Ahmed (Our Own English)

Ronald Sakile (Our Own English)

Ibrahim Ali Kamal (IAT)

Allya Sulaiman (Murbeh)

Buthaina Ghedeer (Murbeh)

Shahd Ali (Our Own English)

Sarah Obaid Khalfan (Murbeh)

Sarah Murad Mohamed (Fujairah Scientific Academy)

Roshan Joseph (St Mary's)

Swaroop Ranganth (Our Own English)

Vishnu (St Mary's)

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Fujairah Population Increases but it is Still a Man’s World

Fujairah Figures

The vital number to come out of the recently published Fujairah Statistical Yearbook 2010 is the official population of the emirate for 2010 which is 176,825.

Population Increasing

Most helpfully the Fujairah Statistics Center has supplied the comparative figures for the two previous years:

154,261 (tot. pop. for 2008)

165,158 (tot. pop. for 2009)

Annual Rate

Between 2008 and 2009 the Fujairah population grew by 10,897.

Between 2009 and 2010 the Fujairah population grew by 11,667.

2011 Estimate

The official Fujairah figures are always one year behind but with the five yearly census being undertaken now, it should not be too long before the 2011 population is announced.

With the emirate growing recently by 10-11,000 per annum one could hazard a guess that in 2011 the population is around 189,000.

Fujairah Forecast for 2016

Using the analyses of his team, Dr Ibrahim Saad, Director of the Statistics Centre-Fujairah, foresees a rise in the Fujairah population from 180,000 people (his current figures) to approximately 210,000-220,000 people by the year 2016.

Gender Imbalance

The official Fujairah figures for 2010 indicate that the gender balance continues.

In a total population of 176,825 there are 66,277 females and 110,548 males.

For every 100 residents in Fujairah, there are 37 females and 63 males.

What Counts

Fortunately, these statistics are only about numbers and not about value, influence and significance.

Albert Einstein’s words are pertinent at this time when the Fujairah statistics are being released:

“Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: Photo courtesy of Google Images.

Seeking a New Job in Fujairah

Bright Prospects

The issuing of the new Fujairah Statistical Yearbook 2010 has been accompanied by predictions of a ‘development and economic boom in the emirate’ resulting in a ‘steep increase in the population, especially of expatriates.’

In the Khaleej Times article (15 May 2011) the Director-General of the Fujairah Municipality has spoken in glowing terms about the many new projects providing job opportunities (e.g. Fujairah City Center-Carrefour will offer 500 jobs by the end of 2012) plus four new real estate projects downtown and other ‘grand projects’ at Fujairah’s Kuwait Street.

Seeking the Jobs

How does one learn about the jobs arising in Fujairah? How can you be like ‘the early bird [who] catches the worm’?

In addition to registering with UAE employment agencies, it is remarkable to see the number of Fujairah jobs that are advertised on Twitter. One can set up Twitter to search for ‘Fujairah, Jobs’ or whatever else you are looking for.

Googling Fujairah Jobs

If people aren’t inclined to figure out and use Twitter, the Googling of jobs made be somewhat easier. This is how it is done:

1. Set up a Google account (which will give you a Gmail email address and other benefits which you don’t have to use).

2. On Google’s top bar indicating the various services (Gmail, Calendar, Documents, Photos etc) click on Web which will take you to the Google Search.

Into this search space write ‘Fujairah, jobs’.

3. Up will come pages of Fujairah jobs (2,950,000 as of today the 16 May 2011). Google offers a useful tool so you can get the latest. On the left side it lists:

• Everything
• Images
• Videos
• News
• Shopping
• More

Then it states these Search Tools:

• Any Time (which is what we have already got—2,950,000 job listings)
• Latest
• Past 24 hours
• Past week
• Past month
• Past year
• Custom range—you can search from one date to another.

4. Click on Latest and you will see the jobs listed in the last few hours and even minutes.

At the top of the new page it says ‘New results will appear below as they become available’.

This morning for example (16 May 2011) there is a Fujairah Database and Systems manager job advertised by the Gulf Job Market on Twitter only one hour ago and four jobs going at the Fujairah Rotana Resort and Spa that were twittered 2 hours ago by Caterer Global.

You can repeat the search by seeing the jobs posted in the last 24 hours, the last week etc.

Google Alerts

Look at the bottom of the page when you have clicked on Latest and you will see the sentence ‘Stay up to date on these results’ and the line below, ‘Create an email alert for Fujairah, jobs’. Click on this and you will be taken to ‘Google Alerts’.

In the search box of ‘Google Alerts’ you can modify your search terms, ‘Fujairah, jobs’.

You can choose to let Google search for Everything or just News, Blogs, videos etc. Best for this type of search to go for Everything.

You can choose the frequency for receiving this information—Once a day, once a week or as it happens. If you are eager to get the news first, then ‘as it happens’ may be your best choice.

You can choose Volume and in this Google decides on ‘Only the best results’ or ‘All results’. You decide whether you want Google to refine your search or whether you will.

You can choose delivery—which email address do you want the Google Alerts to be sent? To your Gmail address or another one you stipulate?

After setting your terms you must ‘Create the alert’. You could also set up another search called, ‘Fujeirah, jobs’ realizing that some employers will spell the emirate in different ways.

You can set up a number of Google Alerts and there is a method called ‘manage your alerts’ for you to do this.

You can easily cancel the Google Alerts when you have secured your new job.

Google Alerts is a helpful search tool when you are working on a project but when you want to find the jobs as soon as they are posted this can give you an edge over others that are looking for jobs.

Related

Fujairah Statistical Yearbook 2010 Now Available, FIF, 15 May 2010.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Fujairah: One of the Smallest Emirates

With Fujairah sandwiched between the tall Hajar Mountains and the extensive Indian Ocean it is easy to forget how small is the land area of the emirate.

Size & %age

The total area of the emirate of Fujairah is 1488 square kilometers which represents only 1.8% of the total area of the UAE.

Fifth Largest

Fujairah is the fifth largest emirate after Abu Dhabi (1^st), Dubai (2^nd), Sharjah (3^rd) and Ras al Khaimah (4^th).

It is only bigger than Umm Al Quwain (6^th with 750 sq km) and Ajman (7^th with 260 sq.km).

Comparative States

It is difficult to find comparative states in the USA as Fujairah is much larger than the smallest state or district—the District of Columbia (176 sq. km) but is much smaller than the 50^th state in land area—Rhode Island which has an area of 4,002 sq. km.

Comparative Countries

Fujairah is slightly larger than Hong Kong (1092 sq. km) and twice the size of Singapore (693 sq. km) and Bahrain (665 sq. km).

Source

Statistics on land area and percentage of the UAE come from the Statistical Yearbook 2010 issued by the Fujairah Statistics Centre, Emirate of Fujairah.

Related

Fujairah Statistical Yearbook 2010 Now Available, FIF, 15 May 2010.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: The map of the UAE comes from the Fujairah Statistical Yearbook 2010.

Fujairah Statistical Yearbook 2010 Now Available

As the five yearly Data Updating (Census) is reaching the completion of its third and final stage the annual Fujairah Statistical Yearbook with the 2010 statistics for the emirate has recently been presented.

There is a wealth of information in this 400 page book.

Purpose

In the introduction, Dr. Eng. Ibrahim Saad, the Director of the Fujairah Statistics Center, says:

"The purpose of this publication is to provide both Public and Private Sector decision-makers with a yearly up to date compilation of data on the structure and principal features of the Emirate of Fujairah as much as possible."

Comparison

The 2010 material is presented to contrast the data from 2008 and 2009.

Contents

These are the 16 chapters in this book:

1. Climate
2. Demography
3. Labor Force
4. Agriculture
5. Industry
6. Internal Trade
7. Foreign Trade
8. Tourism & Heritage
9. Transport and Communication
10. Electricity and Water
11. Banking and Insurance
12. Mosques and Social Welfare
13. Education
14. Health
15. Building and Construction
16. National Accounts

Stats on CD

The Fujairah Statistics Center has made available the data and graphs on a CD which is easy to carry around and helpful for anyone wishing to search for particular terms.

Statistical Highlights

A 14 page booklet has also been produced to highlight some of the keys figures about Fujairah’s population, climate, labour force, education etc. and offering a comparison of the new 2010 figures with the picture in 2009.

Contact

To inquire about these resources here are the contact links:

Fujairah Statistics Center

P O Box 7779

Fujairah, UAE

Tel: +971 (0) 9 2227265

Fax: +971 (0) 9 2241808

Email: fscfuj@emirates.net.ae

Website: www.fscfuj.ae

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Arab Proverb: “The One Who Does Not Know the Falcon…”

“The one who does not know the falcon will grill it.”

More Arab Proverbs—Link.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Image: Photo courtesy of Reuters.

Fast Food Outlets Forming on Fujairah’s Northern Bypass Highway

First Fast Food Hub

A Fujairah fast food hub opened up towards the end of 2010 and is situated north of the Beach Motel on the road north from Fujairah city to Khor Fakkan and Al Aqah.

These outlets cluster around a drive through McDonald’s Restaurant and they include Thai Express, Subway and most recently Dunkin' Donuts.

New Fast Food Hub

A new Fast Food hub is developing north of the Fujairah Free Zone. It is opposite the Fujairah Port Authority and behind the ENOC Petrol Station.

This location seeks to be attractive to motorists travelling from Dibba, Al Aqah and Khor Fakkan and is a one stop shop where both the car and those inside it can be filled up.

A drive through Burger King is being joined by the following food outlets:

Gulf Pastry

Hatam Iranian Restaurant

Papa John’s Pizza Restaurant

There are still a few more spaces for other outlets to join the latest Fujairah fast food hub.

Fast Food Locations

While there are fast food outlets on Fujairah’s main street it is intriguing to see two fast food hubs being located north of the city of Fujairah.

The location appears designed to capture motorists travelling the busy road between Fujairah city and the beachside towns and resorts of Khor Fakkan, Dibba and Al Aqah.

Both of these fast food hubs are situated on the Fujairah city bypass road that will take motorists travelling on the old or new Dubai to Fujairah highway, down Kuwait Road and up the coast.

When the new and fast highway is open it will be interesting to see the proportion of motorists who choose to bypass Fujairah city in favour of other destinations.

Bypass Recommendations

Unfortunately, tourist guide books have already encouraged the bypassing of Fujairah through statements like this one in the Lonely Planet Guide for the Arabian Peninsula:

“Ever-burgeoning Fujairah is the regional centre for this extremely beautiful part of the UAE. Fujairah itself is a rather characterless small city….Our recommendation is to bypass Fujairah, as its beaches are polluted and unattractive and the Port of Fujairah just north of the city is a major blot on the landscape. You’re much better off going north.” (p348)

With reviews and recommendations like these Fujairah city will need to work hard to transform its image and showcase its many attractions.

Check the Location in Google Maps

View Burger King and Other Fast Food Outlets in a larger map

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus—Facebook Page.

Survey on Tourism in Fujairah and the UAE East Coast

A student undertaking a project about tourism in Fujairah and the UAE East Coast has developed a survey.

The student would appreciate it greatly if you spent 2 minutes to share your input.

Here’s the link:

Geoff Pound