Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, in cooperation with the Frontline Heroes Office, recently launched the ‘Fazaa Frontline Heroes’ initiative in a bid to recognise the efforts of thousands of professionals who have been working at the forefront to protect the UAE community from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The initiative has been launched in line with the vision of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, to assist and champion the frontline heroes who have been working tirelessly to combat the spread of COVID-19 and ensure the health and safety of the people in the country.

Under the partnership of the National Behavioural Rewards Program – Fazaa and the Frontline Heroes Office, the specially designed ‘Frontline Heroes Fazaa’ initiative will be activated on November 1, 2020. Through this initiative, all registered UAE frontline heroes will be able to access specialised programs, offers and services provided by the entities with the aim of helping the professionals and their families in overcoming the challenges caused by the pandemic.

The initiative will be carried out under the monitoring of Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, noting that he worked closely with the Solidarity Fund and National Program for Behavioral Reward to start the program aimed at recognising the UAE’s frontline professionals.

Speaking about the initiative, Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan said that the country's frontline heroes have demonstrated apex values, principles and behaviors during the fight against COVID-19 that are elementary to the ideals of the UAE and in harmony with the ideology of Fazaa.

"These brave men and women work tirelessly and put so much at risk to protect and provide for our future. They are exactly the kind of tremendous role models whom Fazaa was developed to support and recognise," Lt. General Al Nahyan added.

Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of the Frontline Heroes Office, also noted that the Office is working closely with frontline professionals and their families in order to understand the problems or pressures they are facing amid the efforts to fight the pandemic."

"This is an excellent example of establishing partnerships to develop high-value support programs that can make a positive impact on our frontline heroes. With Fazaa, we hope to help unburden some of the financial pressures they are dealing with while bringing joy to their lives," he added

Significantly, Fazaa has been providing great value support and assistance to more than 80,000 UAE frontline professionals and their families through a social initiative promoting the spirit of solidarity within the UAE community.

The Fazaa program also aims to reward and honour those residents and citizens have been showing strength, courage and commitment in line with the values and purposes of the Frontline Heroes Office to safeguard and champion the frontline workers who are putting their lives at risk to provide their service to the community.

With the help of Fazaa membership, frontline workers have access to quality goods and services with discounts on more than 2,500 brands at over 6,000 food outlets and 5,500 stores across the country. Fazaa members can also benefit from various discounts on its website on a wide range of products and services varying from insurance to car rentals and hotel reservations in several destinations around the world.

The new ‘Frontline Heroes Fazaa’ program also provides the frontline professionals a special feature through which they can avail a 40 per cent discount on healthcare services, medical products and supplies at 131 hospitals within the UAE. These medical services also include cosmetics and services that are not covered by health insurance.

With the help of the Frontline Heroes Office, the National Program for Behavioral Reward also attempts to provide Fazaa membership benefits directly to every frontline worker on the official UAE Frontline Heroes Registry.

Operating under the direction and supervision of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Frontline Heroes Office was established in July 2020 by decree of President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan with the aim of addressing the challenges and priorities of the UAE’s frontline professionals and providing short-term and long-term solutions to tackle those challenges. Furthermore, the Office also aims to celebrate and recognise those frontline heroes who sacrifice their lives and put themselves at risk to protect the people of the UAE against the pandemic.

The Frontline Heroes Office is working to support the needs of a comprehensive range of frontline professionals, which includes both medical and non-medical staff working in the health sector across the UAE, such as doctors, nurses, services and cleaning personnel and pharmacists. It also includes security and emergency workers, sterilization workers and protection and prevention workers working across various parts of the country.

The UAE government has been constantly working to convert its vision into various initiatives with the aim of enhancing community engagement, promoting positive behaviours, progressing the Emiratis' capabilities towards the overall development of the UAE.

The framework for the "National Behavioural Rewards Program – Fazaa" has been designed by the Department of Behavioural Rewards under the Ministry of Possibilities with the key aim of rewarding positive behaviour within an institutional framework.

WAM