UAE: Emirati artist aims to raise funds for medical research through his NFT collection – News

All proceeds from the initiative go to support Al Jalila Foundation’s health programs

Al Jalila Foundation, and a member of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, announced on Monday that it has launched the first ever collection of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) by a charity in the UAE.

The collection, titled ‘A Fingerprint on Humanity’, is the brainchild of visionary Emirati artist Maisoon Al Saleh and aims to raise awareness and generate funds for patients affected by life-threatening diseases in the UAE.

Dr. Amer Al Zarooni, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “Our first NFT collection, ‘A Fingerprint of Humanity’, encourages our donor community to have a positive impact on patients. This initiative is part of our ongoing efforts to drive innovation within our fundraising channels and give donors around the world the convenience of supporting our health programs.”

The collection consists of five unique NFTs, with each NFT illustrated as a letter containing its most precious content: “hope”. Each letter represents a specific cause, such as cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, mental health and obesity. Taking inspiration from Al Jalila Foundation’s groundbreaking donor recognition wall, ‘Bassmat Rashid Bin Saeed’, Maisoon has incorporated a fingerprint on each wax seal that adorns the letters. The fingerprint symbolizes the lasting impact each individual can have on society.

Each NFT in the collection is color-coded to highlight a specific cause, and 930 of the proceeds from the sale of each NFT will go to support the Al Jalila Foundation. By owning one of these exclusive NFTs, collectors can establish a legacy and contribute positively to society, one NFT at a time.

Maisoon Al Saleh, the artist behind the charity NFT, expressed: “I encourage artists to use their creative talents to support a charitable cause. My association with the Al Jalila Foundation dates back to 2014 when I curated an art exhibition that led to the creation of this series of NFT.

The NFT collection was unveiled at Arts DAO Fest, a cutting-edge cultural festival celebrating digital art and internet culture, bringing together worldwide industry experts and leaders. The festival was organized by the Dubai-based Arts DAO, which represents the Middle East’s most comprehensive web3 community.

Anas Bhurtun, co-founder and CEO of Arts DAO, expressed his excitement by stating, “When we learned that the Al Jalila Foundation would become the first charity to release NFTs to raise funds for patient care and medical research, we knew we that we had to introduce them to the web3 community we have established here in the Middle East.”

The NFT collection is currently for sale on OpenSea in Ethereum and ftNFT Marketplace in UAE Dirham.

NFTs are digital assets that represent ownership or proof of authenticity of a unique item or content such as art, music, videos or even tweets. They are based on blockchain technology and can be bought and sold like traditional assets, but they are separable and cannot be exchanged for each other, hence the name “non-fungible.”

NFTs have gained popularity in recent years as a way for artists and creators to monetize their digital creations and for collectors to own unique digital assets.