Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation

What Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation does

Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation is a government non-profit entity established on April 13, 2002 by decree of the Ruler of Sharjah, operating as the sole statutory authority for orphan care and empowerment in the Emirate of Sharjah and its Central and Eastern regions. The foundation delivers a multi-dimensional empowerment model covering economic, academic, psychological, social, health, environmental, and professional-vocational dimensions for 2,736 orphans and 1,152 families. Its service portfolio comprises nine branded programs: Kafil Yateem (orphan sponsorship at 300 AED/month), Kafil Usra (family sponsorship at 500 AED/month), Allam Bil Qalam (educational sponsorship), Jabr (relief), Waqf (endowment), Sidrat Al-Amanat (wish fulfillment, 3,389 dreams realized), Judran (home environment), Zakki (Ramadan Zakat), and the Jeeran Al-Nabi real-estate endowment (AED 40M target, AED 6.28M raised to date).

The foundation operates a digital platform comprising its ssef.shj.ae website and a mobile application for self-service donation management, complemented by SMS short codes (4553, 7880, 7881, 6690, 9898, 4036, 1110) for low-friction contributions. Recurring payment collection is executed via direct-debit integrations with four partner Islamic banks: Sharjah Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Emirates Islamic Bank, and Dubai Islamic Bank. Telco integration with Etisalat enables the AED 1 daily endowment service. The foundation employs 17 staff across two physical offices (headquarters in Al Rahmania and an Eastern Region branch), supported by a network of 2,163 individual sponsors, 15 institutional supporting entities, and customer service via phone and WhatsApp.

Revenue mechanics are non-commercial and based on charitable contributions: recurring monthly subscriptions (orphan and family sponsorships), annual cash contributions, SMS-tiered one-time donations, and perpetual endowment deeds in Gold/Silver/Bronze tiers. The foundation does not charge fees, does not generate commercial revenue, and does not disclose audited financials. Pricing is denominated in UAE Dirhams across all programs, with 24-hour refund processing. The operating model is community-led, relying on public-facing digital engagement, Ramadan campaigns, and direct sponsorship relationships rather than any commercial go-to-market motion.

Name

Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation

Legal name

Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation (مؤسسة الشارقة للتمكين الاجتماعي)

Website

https://ssef.shj.ae

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation is a Sharjah government non-profit, established in 2002 by Ruler's decree, that delivers multi-dimensional economic, educational, psychological, and social empowerment programs to 2,736 orphans and 1,152 families across the Emirate of Sharjah.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Welfare and Charitable Foundation Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Social Services & Community Outreach (Food Pantries, Shelters, Counseling) (BPAGAJAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA), Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD), K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB)

Keywords

• Orphan sponsorship programs
• Charitable endowment services
• Social welfare foundation
• Family empowerment programs
• Zakat collection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sharjah

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Orphan Sponsorship (كافل يتيم): Monthly or annual cash sponsorships providing direct financial support to orphans, collected via bank direct debit (Sharjah Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Emirates Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank) or cash payment.
2. Family Sponsorship (كافل أسرة): Monthly or annual sponsorships supporting entire families of orphans, providing economic stability and self-sufficiency.
3. Educational Sponsorship - 'Teach with the Pen' (علّم بالقلم): Monthly or annual contributions dedicated to funding the education of orphaned students, covering tuition, supplies, and academic needs.
4. Relief Contributions - 'Jabr' (جبر): Flexible monthly or annual contributions to relieve financial hardships faced by orphan families, covering debts, medical expenses, and urgent needs.
5. Endowment Contributions (الوقف): Permanent charitable endowment contributions where the donor's investment returns perpetually benefit orphans, including gold, silver, and bronze endowment deeds available for purchase.
6. Zakat (زكّ): Ramadan Zakat collection and distribution program supporting orphans and their families with essential needs, Iftar meals, Eid gifts, and sweets.
7. Dream Fulfillment - 'Sidrat Al-Amanat' (سدرة الأمنيات): One-time contributions to fulfill the personal wishes and dreams of orphans, fostering emotional well-being and joy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation is a government-established non-profit foundation that operates sponsorship, endowment, relief, education, and empowerment programs to support orphans and their families in the Emirate of Sharjah. It collects recurring donations and contributions from individuals and institutions through bank direct debits, SMS giving, and online platforms, then channels those funds into financial, educational, psychological, health, environmental, and vocational support services for orphan beneficiaries.

Product overview

Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation offers a comprehensive portfolio of social empowerment programs for orphans and their families in Sharjah. The core offerings include endowment (Waqf), relief (Jabr), orphan sponsorship, family sponsorship, and education sponsorship programs. Additional programs include wish fulfillment (Sidrat al-Amanat), environmental support (Judran), and seasonal Ramadan zekat initiatives. These programs operate through a website and mobile app for donation management, connected to UAE Islamic banks for payment processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Judran (جُدران): An environmental initiative launched in 2014 that provides home maintenance, repairs, painting, furnishing, and household essentials for orphans and their families to create a suitable living environment.
• Sidrat Al Amanyah (سدرة الأمنيات)
• Taqatti (تخطِّ)
• Jabr (جَبْر)
• Zakki (زكّ)
• Jeeran Al Nabi (وقف جيران النبي)
• Kafil Yateem (كافل يتيم)
• Kafil Usra (كافل أسرة)
• Allam Bil Qalam (علّمَ بِالقَلَم)

Products and services

• Orphan Sponsorship (كافل يتيم) Monthly or annual sponsorship program providing direct financial support of 300 AED per month (or 3,600 AED per year) to an individual orphan, covering living expenses through bank direct debit or cash payment. For individual donors who wish to support a specific orphan.
• Family Sponsorship (كافل أسرة) Monthly or annual sponsorship program providing 500 AED per month (or 6,000 AED per year) to support an entire orphan family, covering basic living expenses, housing, and family stability. For individual donors who wish to support a family.
• Education Sponsorship - Teach with the Pen (علّم بالقلم) Monthly or annual contributions starting from 300 AED per month (or 3,600 AED per year) dedicated to funding the education of orphaned students, covering tuition, supplies, and academic needs with optional top-up contributions for students with greater needs. For donors who wish to fund education specifically.
• Relief Contributions - Jabr (جبر) Flexible monthly or annual contributions starting from 301 AED per month (or 3,600 AED per year) to relieve financial hardships faced by orphan families, covering debts, medical expenses, and urgent needs. For donors who wish to support emergency and hardship relief.
• Endowment Contributions - Waqf (وقف) Permanent charitable endowment contributions where the donor's investment returns perpetually benefit orphans, including Gold, Silver, and Bronze endowment deeds available for purchase. Also includes a daily AED 1 Dirham Endowment SMS service. For donors seeking Sadaqa Jariya (perpetual charity).
• Dream Fulfillment - Sidrat Al-Amanat (سدرة الأمنيات) One-time contributions to fulfill the personal wishes and dreams of orphans, fostering emotional well-being and joy. For donors who wish to directly fulfill an orphan's specific wish or dream.
• Ramadan Zakat Program - Zakki (زكّي) Ramadan Zakat collection and distribution program supporting orphans and their families with essential needs, Iftar meals, Eid gifts, and sweets. Payments accepted via SMS (9898 for AED 15, 4036 for AED 150), custom online donation, or bank transfer. For Muslim donors fulfilling Zakat obligations.
• Jeeran Al-Nabi Endowment Project (وقف جيران النبي) Endowment Waqf project targeting 40,000,000 AED to establish real estate investment dedicated to the benefit of orphans, providing ongoing charitable returns for both the donor and the orphan. For donors seeking large-scale real estate-based endowment contributions.
• Judran Environmental Project (جُدران) Environmental initiative providing home maintenance, repairs, painting, furnishing, and household essentials for orphans and their families to create a suitable living environment. For donors who wish to support home improvement for orphan families.
• Taqatti Psychological Support Program (تخطّى) Psychological support program that helps orphans overcome the trauma of losing a father through periodic sessions with specialists, building resilient personalities capable of managing crises. For beneficiaries (orphans) needing psychological counseling.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,865 orphans empowered and transitioned from dependency to self-sufficiency
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sharjah Islamic Bank (مصرف الشارقة الإسلامي)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary banking partner for collecting all recurring sponsorship and donation payments via monthly direct debit. Used for orphan sponsorship, family sponsorship, Jabr relief, Teach with the Pen education, Waqf endowment, and general donation collections.
• Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank (مصرف أبوظبي الإسلامي)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanking partner for monthly direct debit collection of all sponsorship and donation types, including orphan sponsorship, family sponsorship, and educational contributions.
• Emirates Islamic Bank (مصرف الإمارات الإسلامي)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanking partner providing direct debit collection services for recurring donations and sponsorship payments across all foundation programs.
• Dubai Islamic Bank (بنك دبي الإسلامي)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBanking partner for monthly direct debit collection of orphan sponsorship, family sponsorship, Jabr relief, educational sponsorship, and endowment contributions.
• Etisalat (اتصالات)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTelecommunications partner enabling SMS-based giving. Donors can send SMS to short codes (4553, 7880, 7881, 6690 for sponsorship; 9898, 4036 for Zakat; 1110 for daily endowment) via Etisalat network.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Dubai Charity Association: Emirate-level charitable organization in neighboring Dubai running orphan sponsorship, Zakat, and Waqf programs; similar in mission, services, and Islamic charitable infrastructure but operates in a different emirate and does not directly compete for Sharjah donors.

Direct peers

• Sharjah Charity International: Sharjah-based charitable association collecting Zakat, Sadaqah, and running orphan-sponsorship programs within the same emirate; directly comparable in geography, faith-based funding model, and orphan-care focus, competing for the same Sharjah donor base.
• Dar Al Ber Society: Established UAE charitable society running orphan sponsorship, education support, and Waqf programs across the country; closely comparable in faith-based funding model, recurring sponsorship offerings, and target beneficiary group of orphans and low-income families.
• Beit Al Khair Society: UAE-wide charitable society running orphan sponsorship, family support, Zakat, and Waqf programs; directly comparable as a peer charity competing for UAE-resident donors across multiple emirates with similar faith-based giving infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• Emirates Red Crescent: UAE federal humanitarian charity operating across all emirates; comparable as a government-affiliated charitable organization serving vulnerable populations in the UAE, but with much broader geographic scope and disaster/humanitarian mandate beyond orphan care specifically.
• Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF): Large UAE foundation focused on knowledge, education, and humanitarian development with broader scope than orphan care; comparable as a high-profile government-affiliated UAE foundation with regional/international programming and similar donor-base dynamics.
• Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation: Dubai government entity managing endowments (Waqf), minors' funds, and charitable assets; comparable as an institutional UAE foundation administering Waqf and serving vulnerable groups, but with a regulatory/custodial mandate rather than direct service delivery to orphans.
• Zayed Humanitarian Foundation: National UAE charitable foundation supporting orphans, refugees, and humanitarian causes across the region; comparable as a high-profile government-linked foundation in the UAE charitable landscape targeting similar vulnerable populations.

Others

• Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department (IACAD): Dubai government regulator and operator of charitable/Zakat activities; relevant as a comparable institutional Islamic charitable infrastructure operator, though primarily a regulator rather than a peer charity competing for donors.

Emerging players

• International Islamic Charitable Organization (IICO): Kuwait-based Islamic charity running orphan sponsorship and Waqf programs across the Muslim world; comparable as a faith-based charitable organization with similar recurring sponsorship and endowment models targeting orphans, though operating primarily across different geographies.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/altmkeen
• Facebookfacebook.com/al.tmkeen
• Instagraminstagram.com/altmkeen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sharjah-social-empowerment-foundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Sharjah Social Empowerment Foundation