MIDDLE EAST, UAE, Just Falafel Creates ‘One Million Fund’ to Support Education, Reward Fans

One Million Facebook ‘Likes’ Spur Region’s Fast-Growing Quick Service Restaurant to Create Charitable Initiative

Just Falafel, the Middle East’s home-grown quick service restaurant brand, is celebrating its one millionth Facebook ‘like’ by unveiling the ‘One Million Fund’ – an initiative to support education across the region and internationally. With each new Facebook ‘like’ received, Just Falafel will contribute one dirham to an existing seed fund of AED 1 million, which will be administered to deserving students whose applications are reviewed by a committee.
The ‘One Million Fund’ builds on Just Falafel’s existing commitment to education, which has already seen the restaurant chain award a secondary school scholarship to 16-year-old Aqil Rashid, a student and founder of the 1 Well, 700 Lives programme, which provides access to clean drinking water in Afghanistan.

According to Aqil, “Ever since I won the Just Falafel scholarship, people have been congratulating me and the one question that I’ve been asked continuously is: What plans do I have for the future? Well, the plan right now is to study, study, study and (inshallah) get into an extremely good university for International Development Studies. Just Falafel has provided me with the means as well as the motivation towards achieving this goal, and I have been truly blessed with this opportunity.”

With more than 650 franchise locations sold across the GCC, Levant, North Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Australia, Just Falafel is on track to become one of the Middle East’s fastest-growing brands, and wants to use its social media muscle to highlight the critical need for education in its home and expansion markets.

“Just Falafel’s success owes a great deal to the ‘grassroots’ support we have received from fans of all ages, who not only love our food, but who have built a relationship with us through Facebook and Twitter. The ‘One Million Fund’ expands on Just Falafel’s existing commitment to education by enabling new Facebook fans to ‘like’ us and increase the size of our fund exponentially,” said Mohamad Bitar, Founder & Managing Director, Just Falafel.

“Education is a critical enabler of success, not only in our home market of the Middle East, but in all of the countries where Just Falafel is expanding, and through the ‘One Million Fund,’ we will celebrate and reward the educational aspirations of our supporters,” Bitar added.