We have long been told that volunteering is good for the soul. Now new research has found that volunteering is also good for the health and can help us live longer.
The study, by scientists at the University of Exter in the UK, which has been published in the journal BMC Public Health, reveals that reaching out to the community reduces the risk of dying by more than 20 per cent in the seven years after volunteering - a form of security insurance as a reward for your hard work.
The researchers say further study is required to understand the apparent link between volunteering and health, but the very fact that community work involves physical activity and helps us combat stress and depression is enough to understand that there is at least some truth in the inference that there is in fact value for volunteering.
The findings are particularly good news for Emiratis, who consider charity as an integral part of their tradition, whereby members of the community come together to organise feasts or even build homes.
But those who haven't yet thought about it, it's about time to get out and pitch in because what you give is what you get.
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
Company profile
Company: Eighty6
Date started: October 2021
Founders: Abdul Kader Saadi and Anwar Nusseibeh
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Hospitality
Size: 25 employees
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investment: $1 million
Investors: Seed funding, angel investors
Key features of new policy
Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6
Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge
A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools
Schools to implement online system to encouraging transparency and accountability