Checkout.com, the leading global payments provider, has announced that it has renewed its support for the UAE-led ‘One Billion Meals’ campaign for the third year running. The fintech company will again waive all processing fees for donations made to the global humanitarian drive.
‘One Billion Meals’ is the largest initiative of its kind globally, whose objective is to offer food and fight hunger in 50 countries around the world. Organized by Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), the campaign began as ’10 Million Meals’ in 2020 before expanding to ‘100 Million Meals’ in 2021. It raised more than double its target to secure food parcels last year, equivalent to 220 million meals. The progress demonstrates the UAE’s aspirations for humanitarian aid and a firm commitment to developing long-term solutions to improve lives worldwide.
The initiative provides food support as food parcels and instant smart vouchers to millions of beneficiaries across four continents, including Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan, Sudan, Yemen, Tunisia, Iraq, Egypt, Kosovo, Brazil, Benin, Burundi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Senegal, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana, Angola, Sierra Leone, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. This year’s edition of the campaign kicked off on April 2, 2022, and will last until the end of Ramadan.
Checkout.com first partnered with the campaign’s fundraising partner, YallaGive, in 2020. The project concluded with over 15 million meals pledged. Online donations raised 1.4 million meals, with SMS donations netting over 771,000 and call centers raising 720,000. The remaining contributions were made by business leaders pledging 5.7 million meals and assistance from the humanitarian sector, resulting in 6.8 million meals.
The campaign’s success and similar initiatives saw the fintech launch Checkout.com Giving in February 2021 to provide all its services entirely free of charge for registered charities in the countries it operates.
Abdulla Al Nuaimi, Founder of YallaGive, said, “The Checkout.com platform is extremely reliable, intuitive and integrates seamlessly with our system. Not only does the company facilitate our operations, but by waiving fees, it helps maximize the amount we spend on good causes. We look forward to years of partnership and success.”
Remo Giovanni Abbondandolo, Senior Vice President, MENA at Checkout.com, said, “We have seen, firsthand, the great impact that can be made when scalable technology and good causes unite. We already facilitate transactions for thousands of merchants and, by extension, millions of consumers. Extending our capabilities to the humanitarian space, as part of this initiative, accelerates the digitization of this crucial sector and helps maximize its impact on society.”
