Dubai – 10 March 2018:   The Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) in conjunction with the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA) in Dubai on Thursday concluded the Successful Marriage program for the grooms- and brides-to-be amongst their employees who will participate in the 7th Mass Weeding this year. 

The aim of the awareness-raising program was to educate prospective husbands and wives on those key pillars that will help them build a strong marital relationship and therefore a happy and stable family life.

The week-long program, organized in cooperation with the Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities Department in Dubai, was wrapped up at Dubai Customs Headquarters in the presence of Saeed Saleh Al Rumaithi, member of the Federal National Council, Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, director of Dubai Customs, and Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General, GDRFA. 

The Successful Marriage program brought together 200 prospective brides and grooms from both entities ahead of the 7th Mass Wedding. It was geared to promote family culture and social cohesion and support the bonds of happy marital life, and provide the newlyweds with necessary psychological counseling and pre-marriage guidance on how to manage family affairs and arrange their new lives on strong bases, in addition to educating them about the importance of financial planning at the personal and family levels.

The 5-day program offered five lectures delivered by academic and community experts in different topics relating to marriage, including rights and obligations, marital happiness, how to manage marital differences, and family budget management.

Ahmed Mahboob Musabih said: “The mass wedding initiative which we started in 2012 has seen 600 brides and grooms tying the knot over the past six years thanks to the efforts of the Joint PCFC-GDRFA Mass Wedding Committee. The 2018 mass wedding will be held under the Eyal Zayed motto, in line with the Year of Zayed. It will celebrate the marriage of a new group of male and female employees from the two organizations.”    

“These mass weddings demonstrate our commitment to corporate social responsibility through supporting members of our community and encouraging them to get married without having to bear the burden of extravagant marriage expenses, following the directives of the UAE leadership,” he added. 

Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri addressed the male and female employees taking part in the Successful Marriage program, saying: “You will be able to continue building the nation on strong community foundations and attain more achievements through the values of work and national loyalty.  The mass wedding is the nation’s token of love and appreciation to all of you. What you have learnt from this successful marriage program is the first building block to creating your strong and balanced family lives and thus a cohesive society.”