Two of our Year 12 students have turned a personal frustration into a UAE-wide solution. Samaira Bhattacharya and Chloe Ramel have launched Volunteer Hub — an online platform designed to make it dramatically easier for teenagers across the UAE to find meaningful volunteer opportunities.
The pair, both Year 12 students at Nord Anglia International School Dubai, identified a problem that thousands of high school students quietly share: the UAE is full of incredible non-profits doing important work, but finding them as a student can feel impossible. Volunteer Hub closes that gap.
Why It Was Needed
Like many of their peers, Samaira and Chloe wanted to give back to the community but struggled to discover and connect with the right organisations. Emails to NGOs often went unanswered, opportunities were scattered across different websites, and there was no single place for a student to browse causes that matched their interests.
The two friends decided to build the platform they wished had existed.
Built in Just Four Months
From idea to launch, Volunteer Hub came together in around four months. Samaira focused on outreach — building relationships with non-profits and explaining the vision. Chloe took on the technical side, designing and developing the website. Together, they created filters that let students search by location, cause, and type of activity, so finding a relevant opportunity now takes minutes instead of weeks.
Teachers at NAS Dubai played a key role in helping the platform reach more students and credibility-building with potential partner organisations.
Already Making an Impact
In its first months, Volunteer Hub has:
- Partnered with 10 non-profit organisations, including Sparkle Foundation and Thrift for Good
- Helped over 90 students sign up for volunteering roles
- Covered causes spanning sustainability, education, and animal welfare
While the platform is designed primarily for students aged 14 to 18, there is no minimum age requirement — so younger students keen to get involved are equally welcome.
Students who have used Volunteer Hub describe it as a turning point. One young volunteer found her first opportunity through the platform — a beach clean-up in Jumeirah — and is already planning her next one.
What’s Next
Samaira and Chloe aren’t stopping at the UAE. They hope to expand Volunteer Hub internationally over time, with India and other countries on the early roadmap. Long-term, the goal is a global platform that helps high-schoolers anywhere give back to their communities.
Equally importantly, the founders are already thinking about life after Year 12. They are building a leadership handover system so that younger NAS Dubai students — and eventually students from other schools — can take ownership of the platform and keep it growing long after they head off to university.
A Proud Moment for the Community
Volunteer Hub is exactly the kind of student-led initiative our school community celebrates: identifying a real problem, taking ownership of the solution, and creating lasting value for others along the way. A huge well done to Samaira and Chloe — and to every student already using the platform to make a difference.
To learn more or sign up for an opportunity, students can explore Volunteer Hub directly.
Source: https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/dubai-teens-volunteering-platform-students
