The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa), has pledged a $1 million solidarity fund to help start-ups that are under strain due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In honour of the #UbuntuLoveChallenge, a global initiative spearheaded by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi and thought leader, Mamadou Kwidjim Toure, founder of the Africa 2.0 Foundation, the fund will aid start-ups ensuring they remain afloat, and tide over these uncertain times. The fund will be distributed through equity-free grants and commissioned projects.

Sharjah Islamic Bank, SIB, has projected strong results despite the current situation, with net profits totaling AED153.7 million in the first quarter of 2020 compared to AED151.7 million in 2018, an estimated 1.3 percent increase. The balance sheet reflects the bank’s strong performance and sound financial position with total assets reaching AED49.3 billion at the end of March 2020, a 6.2 percent increase in comparison to AED46.4 billion recorded at the end of 2019. Liquid assets reached AED9.7 billion or 19.8 percent of total assets at the end of March 2020. During the month, the bank also repaid $500 million Sukuk from its own liquidity sources, strengthening the bank’s liquidity management.

In support of the UAE’s directives to keep members of the community safe at home in the wake of the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and to encourage healthy eating habits in families, the Sharjah Investment and Development Authority (Shurooq) has launched a free delivery initiative of organic foods to support families in need in Sharjah. Launched in association with the Sharjah Charity International and VeggiTech, a vegetation technology start-up in Sharjah, the free delivery initiative will be made available for more than 1,000 families throughout the period of the night-time curfew.

The first line of defense against coronavirus is proper personal hygiene. This means hand washing and making sure you and your family keep yourselves as clean as possible and limit the interaction you have with others and surfaces that may be contaminated with coronavirus.