Waterfront City Cares announces the third round of grant winners

Further highlighting its commitment, Waterfront City Cares aims at developing localized sustainability standards 

Beirut, August 2013 – For the third consecutive year, Waterfront City Cares is pleased to announce the following Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) as the grants winners: Arc en Ciel, The Environmental and Sustainability Unit at AUB (ESDU), Kunhadi and Roads for Life. 

Additionally, Waterfront City Cares is seriously considering partnering with the Lebanese Green Building Council with the aim of developing localized sustainability standards. The Standards will be based on international norms but tailored to the specific local demands.

Commenting on the occasion Samer Bissat, Senior Development Director, Stated: “Setting localized standards is something that we have been actively working on for a while now. By doing so, we aim at encouraging local developers to adopt sustainability measures by having customized codes available to them locally.” 

“When we are evaluating the projects received, we look at awarding grants to initiatives that we can partner with on a long-term basis, as that is the key of sustainability. To even go a step beyond that, we are looking at ways that these initiatives can be applied within Waterfront City’s community and surroundings and become part of the lifestyle, he continued.” 

With the hopes of one day opening a worthy sustainability initiative at Waterfront City, the ESDU- the organic farmers market- at AUB received additional support for ‘Souk Aal Souk’, the weekly farmers market.  The aim of the grant is to train organic farmers and open new markets for them, further push for the awareness and availability of the market; and promote nutrition education and organic agriculture within Universities. 

The second grant for Arc en Ciel received support for the “recycling for solidarity” initiative which aims at encouraging the general public to sort plastic bottle caps and donate them to the recycling facilities, which will in turn aid in the production of wheelchairs. 

As for Kunhadi, the NGO received a grant that will assist in the installation of safe crossings, based on international standards, in front of schools in the Metn area to ensure safe passage for students. 

Last, but surely not least, Roads for Life  received a grant to aid in the training of emergency doctors to ensure that road victims receive the optimal support for post-trauma care. 

Waterfront City Cares, set up by Waterfront City in 2012, stipulates that 1,000 USD is pooled from the sale of each apartment at Waterfront City into a fund and thereafter grants are awarded to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) that fall under five main pillars: Environmental Sustainability, Health and Safety, Education, Road Safety and Women Empowerment.  

About Waterfront City 

Since its launch, Waterfront City master-planned community has evolved. 

This destination, located on the 700-berth La Marina Joseph Khoury, is already under construction blending maritime lifestyle and vibrant neighborhood environments with leisure, hospitality, business and retail components to deliver an unparalleled living experience. 

With over twice the land size as that of the marina in Monte Carlo Monaco, residents and visitors will have the opportunity to access 2,000 intelligently designed living spaces of varying sizes, accompanied by a mix of world class shopping, numerous dining options and unique entertainment offerings. Health clubs and green parks further add to the community experience. A state-of-the-art business park, with efficient designs and ample car parking, along with leading international hotels will round out the perfect setting in this prime location. 

Welcome to Waterfront City, the Natural Choice. 

About Majid Al Futtaim Properties 

Founded in 1992, Majid Al Futtaim is the leading shopping mall, retail and leisure pioneer across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

A remarkable business success story, Majid Al Futtaim started from one man’s vision to transform the face of shopping, entertainment and leisure, and to create great moments for everyone, every day. It has since grown into one of the United Arab Emirates’ most respected and successful businesses spanning 12 international markets, employing over 26,000 people, and achieving the highest credit rating (BBB) among privately-held corporates in the Middle East. 

Majid Al Futtaim owns and operates 17 shopping malls, 11 hotels and three mixed-use communities in MENA, with further developments underway in the region. This includes Mall of the Emirates, City Centre malls, and also 4 community malls which are in joint venture with the Government of Sharjah. It holds exclusive rights to the Carrefour franchise in 19 markets across MENA and Central Asia, operating a portfolio of over 50 hypermarkets and over 60 supermarkets in 14 countries.  

Majid Al Futtaim operates 109 VOX Cinemas screens and 17 Magic Planets across the region in addition to iconic leisure and entertainment facilities such as Ski Dubai and iFly Dubai among others. Majid Al Futtaim is parent to the consumer finance company issuing 'Najm' credit cards, a fashion retail business representing international brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Juicy Couture and Halston Heritage and a healthcare business. In addition, it also has a joint venture operation with Dalkia and has recently expanded into food & beverage in partnership with Gourmet Gulf. 

About Société Joseph G. Khoury & Fils Holding

Joseph G. Khoury, the founder of Société Joseph Khoury & Fils Holding SAL has been a long time market leader and pioneer. Since first creating the Société Nationale d’Entreprises in 1960, Joseph G. Khoury was embarking on the long fruitful road of a master-builder with a passion for perfection and work well-done. 

Under his directorship, the Société Nationale d’Entreprises has executed a multitude of projects in Lebanon and the Arab World in many diversified fields. This work was crowned by the project Reclamation and Development of the “Littoral Nord”, consisting of approximately 2,600 linear meters of coast line and a total area of 1,003,000 square meters.Visionary and always looking for a competitive edge, Joseph G. Khoury founded many companies and after he passed away the Société Joseph G. Khoury & Fils Holding SAL has taken over his mission and continues the journey the way he intended it.