The visit came as part of Auwn, a social service initiative launched by ADFCA with a view to develop a compassionate arm for the food and agriculture regulatory body. The volunteers gave away gifts and food advices to the children undergoing cancer treatment at the hospital and their families.

A spokesperson for ADFCA said the visit was part of the larger awareness campaign on food safety that the Authority had been carrying out among the community. "It is beyond dispute that unhealthy food habits are among the principal reasons for the spread of dangerous diseases among people. Return to healthy food habits alone can turn out to be the single most important cause of cure from serious diseases. In other cases, healthy food habits greatly complement medical treatment for major illnesses. Our purpose was to create awareness about this fact; while consoling and praying for those hapless kids afflicted with life-threatening diseases," he added.

Auwn was launched a while ago by ADFCA to concentrate on social service initiatives and to nurture a group of employees dedicated to the cause of common greater good. "Selfless voluntary work is vitally important for achieving social development. Government bodies have a crucial role to play in integrating various aspects of social development. ADFCA believes the twin roles of regulatory and enforcement work and the creation of social awareness must go hand in hand. Auwn is the embodiment of that realization," the spokesperson pointed out.

The activities of Auwn are unique among government bodies as it targets the needy and deprived sections of the community for its services, such as the sick, the old, the orphaned and the disabled. Apart from the awareness side of the initiative, the Auwn initiative is also in synch with the Abu Dhabi Government's vision of nurturing a sense of fraternity, compassion and social cooperation within the community.

"In a sense, all we do fall under the category of humanitarian work.  One may see it unfolding in different spheres, such as regulation, enforcement and social work. At the end of the day, the ultimate goal is to create a healthy and happy society where the quality of life is better, human suffering is minimal and fraternal bonds across all sections stronger. Auwn aspires to instill a sense of social responsibility among our staff and translate that into actions that result in the achievement of the greater common good, the spokesperson concluded.