Volunteering with Make-A-Wish UAE
About Make-A-Wish UAE
Make-A-Wish UAE grants wishes for children living with critical health conditions. It is part of the international Make-A-Wish movement, which traces its roots to 1980 in Phoenix, when a community came together to grant the wish of a seven-year-old boy with leukaemia who dreamed of becoming a police officer.
The UAE foundation has been working here for more than two decades and is based in Abu Dhabi, with its office at Villa 7, Al Hamra Street, Khalidiyah. Its website reports more than 8,000 wishes granted so far. Wishes usually fall into four types: to be something, to go somewhere, to meet someone, or to have something. Recent examples on its news pages include a child’s trip to perform Umrah and a World Heart Day event in September 2026 where 11 children’s wishes were granted with partners TAQA, Seha and Emirates Palace.
Its goal is hope rather than treatment. As the foundation once told Gulf News, the aim is not to offer a painkiller but to put a smile on a child’s face.
What volunteers do
Volunteers have long been part of the picture. Gulf News reported that the foundation’s volunteers come from many nationalities and age groups, with some meeting the children, some working as doctors and nurses, and others helping with events and media. At the time of writing, though, the volunteer section of the Make-A-Wish UAE website appears to be marked as coming soon, so there is no open online application we can point you to.
Our honest advice: if volunteering is what you want, email the team, explain your skills and availability, and ask to be told when the volunteer programme opens.
Who can volunteer
Make-A-Wish UAE has not published volunteer requirements online. Because the work involves seriously ill children and their families, expect any future programme to involve some screening and training. As a general tip, having a profile on the UAE Volunteers platform helps, since many UAE organisations recruit through it.
How to get involved
- Check the website. Visit makeawish.ae to see whether the volunteer page has gone live.
- Email the team. Write to info@makeawish.ae with your name, emirate, languages and any relevant experience, such as healthcare, events, photography or working with children.
- Follow its news. Wish events and partner activities are posted on the website, which is a useful way to see where help is needed.
- Know a child who could benefit? The website has a section on the steps for nominating a child for a wish.
Other ways to help
Donations are the most direct way to help right now, and the foundation offers plenty of options:
- Card payments: Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, with preset amounts or an amount of your choice.
- SMS donations: available for e& (Etisalat) and du customers in set amounts.
- Bank transfer: to the foundation’s ADIB account, with the IBAN published on the website.
- Monthly giving: the “Dirham of Wishes” subscription spreads support across the year.
- Individual campaigns: the website runs campaigns for specific children’s wishes, so you can choose one to support.
Companies can also get involved. The foundation works with partners including e&, ADNOC, TAQA, AD Ports Group and Emirates Palace, and recently signed an agreement with Mediclinic Middle East.
Good to know
Wish children and their families are going through a very hard time. If you do volunteer in future, privacy and sensitivity will matter more than enthusiasm. Avoid posting photos of children online unless the foundation asks you to.
Much of the website is in Arabic. If you are more comfortable in English, a phone call or email is often the quickest way to get answers.
If you give by SMS, check the confirmation message so you know the amount has gone through.
Contact and links
- Website: www.makeawish.ae
- Email: info@makeawish.ae
- Phone: 02 666 5144
- Mobile: 054 322 2016
- Office: Villa 7, Al Hamra Street, Khalidiyah, Abu Dhabi
We will update this page when Make-A-Wish UAE opens its volunteer programme. Until then, a donation or a well-written email to the team is the best place to start.