Dubai: This Ramadan, the drive is no longer just about feeding the hungry and underprivileged. Volunteers are also feeding and enriching their minds.
Social clubs licensed by the Community Development Authority (CDA) in Dubai and private sector organisations are working together to positively impact the community through the Honour Labour initiative.
Now in its fifth year, Honour Labour is a yearlong programme dedicated to uplifting blue-collar workers and promoting their inclusion in the community. But with the season of giving during Ramadan, volunteers intensify their efforts to reach as many workers as they can.
“During this Ramadan, the Honour Labour initiative by the Community Development Authority is going strong in its fifth year of delivering sustainable programmes to the workers of Dubai,” Dr Omar Al Muthanna, CEO of the Licensing and Regulatory Sector at CDA, told Gulf News.
This year’s Ramadan campaign alone will benefit an estimated 350,000 workers, in comparison to 364,480 workers who benefited from a full year’s programme in 2015.
Some 18 social clubs are serving iftar meals to thousands of workers, up from 10 social clubs who served iftar meals to 196,700 people in 2015.
Advocate Sajid Abu Bakr, secretary of the Dubai Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre, said they are providing 2,000 iftar meals to the public daily in their office throughout Ramadan. They also give out iftar kits to labour accommodations every week.
“Apart from the iftar meals, we are also distributing 5,000 books through our ‘1 Book for 1 Person’ campaign this Ramadan,” Abu Bakr told Gulf News.
“As a social charity, we are helping change the mentality of society nowadays. People now are becoming more and more selfish. We want to set an example to the next generation [to learn to give back to the community].”
This push to go beyond giving one meal to one worker but help that worker become a better individual in the long run is the main thrust of the Honour Labour campaign this Ramadan.
“This initiative is not only providing meals to those who are fasting in this holy month of generosity but also moving into feeding the minds and souls through education in languages and life skills. The initiative is carried out by myriads of non-profit organisations, volunteers, private companies, and government bodies in a wonderful display of selfless acts of social responsibility,” Dr Al Muthanna said.
“This initiative is one of many examples of our commitment to strengthen the maturing notion of sustainable community development.”
Several activities that promote national identity, empower individuals, provide social inclusion, cohesion and protection, are being held in various labour accommodations across the city. These programmes came from a series of brainstorming sessions with the social clubs to ensure that all the solutions and services are planned out from the ground level.
Some 11,000 volunteers, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, from the licensed social clubs are offering services and gifts this Ramadan amounting to Dh3.2 million. Their volunteering hours throughout the month when computed have a cash equivalent of Dh1.8 million.
Dr Al Muthanna said a lot has changed since the authority started the programme in 2012. The model it has set in place where they license, guide, and teach social clubs how to go about their programmes has matured. From being very hands-on in delivering services in 2012, the CDA has slowly taken the back seat and is now leading from behind.
“Since the initiation of the CDA, we have realised that there are lots of goodwill in Dubai and people want to deliver services because of this goodwill. However, goodwill alone will not take you very far. You have to have the right tools and expertise,” Dr Al Muthanna said.
“We are empowering the community by putting down well-structured framework through licensing and through building channels across the different sectors. We create the environment to promote this kind of thinking and then we watch the magic happen.”
WHO’S INVOLVED: Licensed social clubs and 28 private sector organisations
Names of social clubs:
- Pakistan Association Dubai
- Dubai Offshore Sailing Club
- Indian Association Dubai
- Dubai Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre
- India Club
- Danube Welfare Centre
- Smartlife
- Model Service Society
- Dubai Creek Striders
- Italian Social Club
- Iman Cultural Centre
- The Scottish Association
- Sri Lankan Welfare Association
- Assamese Community Welfare Association
- Club Damas Latinas
- Santhwanam
What they do
- Iftar distribution
- Distribution of hygiene kits
- Health awareness campaign
- Sports activities
- Basic Arabic language classes
- Distribution of Eid gifts
- Distribution of gifts to the labourers
- Mosque cleaning
- Visiting prisoners
- Education lectures on Ramadan etiquette, Islam, being a good resident, anti-drug and anti-alcohol campaign
- Distributing food packages to families in need
- Environmental activity “planting and distributing plants”
- Blood donation
IN NUMBERS:
- 2015: 196,700 iftar meals distributed
- 10 social clubs participated
- 2016: 347,030 iftar meals to be distributed (targeting 350,000)
- 18 social clubs are participating
- Services offered by social clubs during Ramadan 2016: equivalent to Dh3.2 million
- No. of volunteers engaged during Ramadan 2016: 11,000
- Volunteering time equivalent in cash: Dh1.8 million
Source: CDA Dubai
