THE RUMI FOUNDATION

Initiatives Supported

— Although The Rumi Foundation was formally established in 2006, Rumi’s philanthropic work extends back several years and includes the following initiatives:

2011 - Akram Khan Dance Company

Cross-cultural awareness and education through contemporary dance

— Led by legendary contemporary dancer Akram Khan, AKDC creates innovative productions which challenge audiences in their understanding of human interaction and cultures. AKDC unites people around the universal language of dance, mixing traditional Eastern dances with modern, global disciplines. Akram Khan travels with his productions around the world, providing training and education to local aspiring artists.

In keeping with the Foundation’s philosophy to support local communities where it invests its endowment, the Foundation was proud to sponsor AKDC’s Brazilian six-show tour in October 2011. Subsidised tickets were available to encourage audiences from all socio-economic backgrounds, culminating in the finale where tickets were available for R$1 (around 30p) each.

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2011 - Innovation Night at the Royal College of Art

with Burberry Chief Creative Officer, Christopher Bailey MBE

— Innovation Night 2011 at the Royal College of Art, the second of five annual public lectures to be endowed by the foundation, was held on 28 June 2011. Joining us as guest speaker was Christopher Bailey MBE.

Over the last 10 years, Christopher has been instrumental in transforming Burberry into the fashion powerhouse it is today. Whilst design innovation, like the creation of the new materials, product design and expansion is the driving force behind the business it is the digitalisation of the brand which marks Burberry as true innovators.

The use of dynamic audiovisual content on the Burberry website encourages customers not only to engage but to entertain and interact while the introduction of Retail Theatre technology allows live 3D streaming of Burberry catwalk shows to be watched in their flagship stores across the world. Further digitalisation, supported by supply chain innovation, has for the first time allowed Burberry customers to buy directly from the runway for delivery in seven weeks.

In 2008, alongside Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts, Christopher set up The Burberry Foundation, committed to dedicating global resources to help young people realise their dreams and achieve their goals and potential through their power and creativity.

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2011 - Coexistence Trust

Establishes networks of trust between Jewish & Muslim Students

— Founded in 2005 by His Royal Highness, Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan & Lord Janner of Braunstone QC, the Coexistence Trust aims to combat Islamophobia and Anti-Semitism by developing and strengthening relations between British Muslim and Jewish communities. By targeting students with University Campus FaithHubs and Campus Ambassadors, students take an active role in promoting understanding between the Jewish & Muslim faiths.

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2011 - Mosaic

Challenging the growing concern around the issues facing young Muslims living in deprived areas of Britain

— Mosaic was founded by HRH The Prince of Wales in November 2007 to challenge the growing concern around the issues facing young Muslims living in deprived areas of Britain. Mosaic aims to increase education opportunities for those who do not have them and to increase opportunities for understanding between people of different backgrounds. Mosaic’s mentoring programme matches volunteer mentors with young Muslims and their peers at schools and in community groups to raise aspirations and to provide access to opportunities in education and employment.

In June 2011, The Rumi Foundation hosted a reception for Mosaic, which was attended by the HRH Princess Badiya bint El Hassan of Jordan, Chairman of Mosaic, and Rageh Omar, a prominent BBC journalist who gave a fascinating insight into the ‘Arab Spring’ uprisings.

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2010 - Innovation Night at the Royal College of Art

with YouTube’s Chad Hurley
29 June 2010

— The Rumi Foundation officially launches on 29 June 2010 at the Royal College of Art with the first of five annual public lectures to be endowed by the foundation. Joining us as guest speaker will be Chad Hurley, co-founder and CEO of YouTube.

Chad Hurley and fellow PayPal employees Steve Chen and Jawed Karim were the first to come up with the idea of creating a public space on the internet for sharing videos. Launched in 2005, YouTube quickly became an internet sensation and was bought the following year by Google for $1.65 billion. Today, the figures are staggering: approximately 24 hours of footage are uploaded every minute and the site receives two billion hits a day. 

YouTube continues to innovate its business model and service to a global community, and has partnerships across the world including the BBC, Channel 4 and Five. Chad has been recognised as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, where he spoke in 2007, 2008 and 2009.

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2010 - Kisakye Children’s Trust

Providing vital care for children affected by HIV/AIDS in Uganda

— Launched in 2005, this UK-based charity helps in the relief of poverty, suffering and disease in Africa. Its first major project has been to develop a paediatric hospital and treatment centre in Mbale, Uganda, for children affected by HIV/AIDS. The first of its kind in the region, the hospital opened its doors in 2009. While it currently offers out-patient facilities there are plans to develop it further as a centre for training in paediatric HIV and related subjects. It will also provide a much-needed focus for outreach services to rural areas, where a combination of poor infrastructure and poverty prevents families from visiting the hospital.  

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2010 - Innovation at the RCA

Bringing RCA graduates and enterprise together to spark new ideas and innovation

— InnovationRCA is the Royal College of Art’s network that allows external organisations to tap into the creative and commercial potential of its graduates. Its aim is to help external organisations of all kinds to innovate by introducing new knowledge, ideas and artefacts from the multi-disciplinary community of designers, artists and researchers at the College. The network also enables higher levels of professional support for new RCA graduates and alumni.

The Rumi Foundation is supporting the RCA annual Innovation lecture and dinner for the next five years. See Recent Initiatives for more details.

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2008 - Iwokrama International Centre (IIC)

Rainforest conservation through scientific research in Guyana

— Established in 1996, the IIC manages Iwokrama – a unique reserve of nearly 1,000,000 acres of rainforest in Guyana. Its aim is unique: to conduct research and test the proposition that conservation, environmental balance, and sustainable economic activity are mutually reinforcing. In other words, that it is possible to use a forest without losing it. Over the last 12 years the IIC has developed sustainable models that include timber harvesting and eco-tourism in close cooperation with local communities. In 2008 the forest received Forest Stewardship Council certification in recognition of its sustainable management.

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2007 - Conference on Inter-Religious Dialogue in Rome and Dubrovnik

Multi-faith understanding through business leadership

— Organised by Rumi Verjee under the auspices of the Young Presidents’ Organization, this conference brought together eighty business leaders from around the globe to discuss the relationships between the world’s major religions and examine how experience in business could be used to solve some of the conflicts which religion creates. In Rome, the group had an audience with His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI and had discussions with Cardinal Tauran, the Vatican’s representative for inter-religious dialogue. In Dubrovnik, the group was able to see the effects of religion-driven conflict first-hand. Lord Paddy Ashdown, former UN High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, introduced the group to the Balkans conflict as a case study.

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2005 - The Verjee Fellowship in Medicine

A Fellowship in perpetuity at Downing College, University of Cambridge

— Rumi Verjee established this fellowship in perpetuity to support ongoing research in the field of Medicine. The first fellowship is to Dr Nick Coleman for his research into cancer diagnosis, using improved understanding of cell biology to suggest ways to manage patients with cancer. His research aims to identify genes of potential importance in the biology of malignancy and improve screening, particularly for children.

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1995 - Mother Teresa Projects in Calcutta, India

A lifeline for those in desperate need of food, shelter and healthcare

— Mother Teresa dedicated her life to offering much-needed relief for Calcutta’s poor. Through her Mission she gave aid to the hungry, sick and dying, creating schools, orphanages, soup kitchens and hospices. At the time of her death Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity were operating over 600 missions in 123 countries.

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