This Ramadan I was honored to be part of an enthusiastic charity team who dedicated several days a week to a number of charitable projects. While collecting money and distributing meals and clothing were the main objectives, we were lucky enough to spend some time with some families of the families that the project aimed to help, making me realize that giving supersedes monetary value.

The search for families and individuals in need started three months before Ramadan. We spoke to labour camp managers, friends and residents, and scouted humble locations in the UAE to find people living in challenging conditions, such as the fishermen on the Creek Side.

When it came to collecting contributions and identifying volunteers, we were blessed with the generosity of many individuals and organizations, including a number of colleagues, generating approximately AED 40,000.

Using these funds, volunteers donated their time and effort to buy food and clothing items, and sort, pack and distribute them to families. We had an average of 14 volunteers on a weekly basis throughout Ramadan, and their generosity was vital to our success.

In total, we distributed:

  • 200 bags of 17 essential food items for families

  • 2,800 bags of five essential food elements for fishermen

  • 835 bags including several clothing items such as jeans, t-shirts, shirts and shoes for fishermen

Thank you all for your generosity and donations. This was a truly rewarding experience and we couldn’t have been more blessed.