Dubai mums start 'shoes for workers' campaign

Dubai: A campaign launched on  November 1 by mothers in Dubai aims to collect used footwear for workers in the labour accommodations at Al Muhaisnah.

The ‘Dubai Mums Helping Hands’ group on Facebook, which is behind the campaign, is urging men in Dubai communities to donate their old shoes. The campaign aims to reach many of the 200,000 labourers living within the five square miles of the labour accommodations located in Al Muhaisnah.

Kari Troy, campaign organiser and American mother-of-two, 34,  pointed out that during one of the group’s previous trips to a labour accommodation, a worker mumbled the word “never” after being asked whether an expat has ever done something nice for him.

“That is when we realised how much labourers are forgotten, and we had to change that” said Troy.

Dubai mother-of-two Sharon Scott, 42, from Australia, has volunteered to help out by offering to include her home address in Jumeirah One as a drop-off point for donations.

“I got involved in the project after reading about it on Facebook. It’s a good way to give back to the community and teach my children about helping others in the place they live in,” said Scott.

Another stay-at-home mum Jean Legaspi, 35, from the Philippines, has also listed her house in Mirdif as one of 29 drop-off points, and has collected seven pairs of shoes in the first three days of the campaign.

“I think we will have a great turnout this year because the Dubai Mums Helping Hand group has grown and more people are requesting to take part in the charity causes,” said Legaspi.

Partnering with a moving company called Mr Move, the Dubai mums group will hand over all donations for distribution after November 21. The moving company, which has offered to donate several trucks to the cause, will be driving to the Al Muhaisnah accommodations and distributing the shoes to labourers.

The latest campaign started after the conclusion of another initiative called ‘Free healthy food Fridays’.

The October campaign aimed to help workers maintain a balanced diet by providing them with bags of fruits and vegetables.