It was the evening of August 18 and the sight that greeted me when I entered the Shaikh Rashid Hall at the Dubai Convention Centre was truly heartwarming. More than 1,400 people gathered at the centre, in response to a message spread by word of mouth and posted on social networking sites.
The volunteers were there to assemble 3,000 packages that were then going to be distributed to labourers in several workers' accommodation across the city that night.
The volunteers packed boxes with a set of basic toiletries, some towels, a pillow, bed sheets and a few packets of biscuits. They even assembled a special pack for Muslim labourers, which included prayer mats and prayer caps. Some items were donated, while others were purchased with money raised by volunteers.
The initiative brought people from different nationalities and income groups together for a common purpose - to bring a smile to the faces of some hardworking people.
Packaging love
The events of the day were part of an initiative organised by Adopt a Camp, the brainchild of a British-Canadian immigrant of Pakistani descent and former investment banker, Saher Shaikh. It began in the winter of 2005, after Shaikh moved to Dubai from Canada with her husband.
"I originally hail from Pakistan. I can't say poverty shocks me, but the unfairness of it all deeply disturbs me," she says.
A chance encounter with a worker who was waiting in a queue at a supermarket counter to pay for his bread and laban, jolted her into action. "He seemed to have run short of money to pay for his items and was fumbling with some coins," remembers Shaikh. "It was at that moment that I felt I just had to do something to make it a little easier for those who do not have much," she says.
She asked the man to buy whatever he wanted from the store and offered to pay for it. But all the man added was a small bottle of strawberry milk. Shaikh was touched by his quiet dignity. "I wanted to do something more for such people," she says.
Building a better community
Shaikh began her journey to make the world a slightly better place.
Shaikh initially began doing random acts of kindness - buying a flight ticket for a labourer who could not afford it, lending an ear to the problems of workers, offering English and hygiene classes, organising cricket and carrom tournaments and organising free or low-cost medical camps.
With help from her husband, Shemreez, close family members and the cooperation of "angelic volunteers", Shaikh has been organising events like these for the past six years.
On the night of August 18, Shaikh was in her element. With three children in tow, the youngest only two months, she exuded energy, coordinating activities and communicating with the sea of people who all were glowing with the good thought of giving back to society.
The buzz and energy in the convention centre was incredible. There were mothers with toddlers, businessmen who had come straight from their offices, teenagers, elderly men and women all busy assembling the packages.
What was also amazing was that despite the number of people and the tasks that had to be done, there was hardly any confusion. Volunteers formed an assembly line to fill the boxes. One group of people pushed cartons along tables while other volunteers beside them put the items into each box.
As the boxes were passed down the line, items were neatly arranged until the box reached the end for a final check. Here volunteers took an inventory of all items to ensure that the right number of items were in each package.
Once the boxes were filled and checked, they were sealed by another group of volunteers in charge of packing.
The box was then moved to the fast-growing pile that was waiting to be loaded onto trucks for distribution.
Parade of trucks
It took about five hours for all the boxes to be packed and loaded on the trucks. At about 1am a line of trucks, followed by at least 200 volunteers in their vehicles, left the convention centre for the workers' accommodation at the Dubai Investment Park and Jebel Ali.
Once the trucks arrived at the accommodation, volunteers ensured perfect coordination for the distribution of the packages. Each recipient was given a coupon to exchange for a box. The workers were overjoyed to receive a special gift during Ramadan. Eager to get their packages, the labourers started queuing at 2am, one volunteer said.
Shaikh remembers the first days when she used to visit labour accommodation, keen to help the workers. "Some of them used to tell me about their woes back home, their health conditions, their financial worries. It was not like they had major problems," she says. "It is just that the thought that someone cared about them enough to visit them was enough [to make them feel better].
"A worker who had suffered a hand injury would tell me about the pain he is suffering, another would tell me about his toothache... They had a natural need to have someone to talk to. Most of them missed their sisters, mothers and other family members."
Raising awareness
Shaikh realised there were many things she could educate them about. "Every time I visited them, I would tell them about hygiene, make them aware of health issues.
"Soon I decided talking was not enough, I had to give them the hygiene products. I began carrying small care packages containing things I was sure they needed - toothpaste, soap, deodorant etc. I sent an email to friends, and family members and everyone contributed generously. I also had tremendous support from my in-laws and husband... I would carry about 800 care packages with enough supplies to last the workers for three months," she says.
The relationship grew and gradually the labourers began telling her what they needed. "I would often put in expensive deodorants, fancy talcum powders and shampoos and they would tell me they never used it. On their advice, I began buying things like prickly heat powder and a simple bar of soap."
Gradually, the number of people she was helping swelled. At the end of six years, she had visited 38 workers' accommodations and was helping 12,800 people.
Soon the workers began waiting for her arrival so they could share their troubles.
"Sometimes it would be about a disagreement two workers were having or about a family member who was sick... sometimes all they wanted was to share a joke with me. I was their mother figure," says Shaikh.
Over time, Shaikh considered giving the men a nice break on weekends. She began looking for volunteers who could help her take the workers on sight-seeing trips or who would help organise sports tournaments.
"This gave the workers an opportunity to visit places in Dubai and proudly share [stories about] these experiences with their families. I wanted them to have an opportunity to have something really novel to look forward to each week," Shaikh says.
Shaikh also helps them learn English. The American University of Dubai approached her and offered its services. So Shaikh coordinated English-speaking classes for the workers on the AUD campus.
Shaikh has had very good response from the government. "The Dubai government has been very concerned about the well-being of labourers and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce had actively cooperated with me to make and distribute the care packages. They also donated the space at the conventional hall to organise this [box assembly drive]."
Making a meaningful contribution
Often Shaikh and her husband give their own money to help the workers.
"I would have used that money for a holiday, but I think it is being put to better use like this."
When someone offers a monetary donation, Shaikh puts the person directly in touch with a worker who needs an airline ticket, medical reimbursement or other financial aid.
"I prefer not handling the funds and arrange for the volunteer to directly get in touch with the worker," she explains.
If there are a group of volunteers who want to help, she asks them to help manage, organise or coordinate various activities like the box packing initiative or she asks them to help her collect the items.
For more than two years Shaikh did not think of a name for her initiative simply because she did not consider organising anything in a formal way. But when a friend of hers approached her to give a talk about the work she was doing and asked her what she called her project, the name Adopt a Camp came to mind. "It just seemed right," she says.
Shaikh acknowledges and appreciates the volunteers who selflessly turned out in hordes to help her with the box packing initiative. "I was amazed how the social network worked so efficiently. We put out a message on our facebook website for volunteers and the response was overwhelming. In one night we were able to make and deliver 3,000 packages all because of the power of the people who turned up in great numbers."
Shaikh is clear she does not want to give her organisation a corporate face.
"This project started from very spontaneous feelings where I wanted to do something. I always want it to have a human face. I do not want to hire a large impersonal office and staff that will handle the entire operation. That would make it lose its warmth.
"Now it is a very personal journey for me. I always want to stay in touch with the core spirit of this initiative. There have been wonderful people who have volunteered to help us and have stood by us like rocks. I am so grateful to these angels. But I would never think of making Adopt a Camp a corporate body," she says.
Shaikh is gearing up to streamline her activities and divide her day efficiently so that she is able to do justice to her life both at home and work.
"I plan to give all my time to this initiative during the day when my kids are in school. In the evening I would like to give my time to husband and family. I think I can do that if I organise myself."
Lessons in love
She sees the initiative as a learning curve that has taught her so much about love, compassion and giving.
"There have been wonderful moments in this journey when I have had this unique human-to-human interaction. I once helped a young Bangladeshi labourer reach home. His mother called me up that week and told me I had been more than a mother to her son. She was crying and I was crying... It was such a beautiful moment. I think it is moments like this that make all the efforts so worthwhile."
Making a difference
Who: Saher Shaikh, founder of Adopt a Camp, a unique initiative to reach out to labourers living in the workers' accommodation
What: Adopt a Camp, a non-profit organisation
Why: To foster a sense of belonging among labourers and lend them a helping hand when they need it
Where: Dubai
Inside info
Know more about their activities by logging on to the facebook page for AdoptaCamp or email adoptacamp@gmail.com
Reaching out
The Adopt-A-Camp initiative has brought together different nationalities for a noble cause. Most volunteers found it to be a humbling experience while for labourers, the receipients of the care packages, the gesture was more than a gift. They felt it was society's way of acknowledging their presence and including them as part of the community.
Friday spoke to workers and volunteers to get a true feel of the spirit behind the venture.
The volunteers
Mary Beth Hickey
"I have been part of several volunteer organisations in the US and have tried to give back to every country I have had the opportunity to live in. A feature on Adopt a Camp I saw in a publication inspired me to get involved with this group. I find the experience of working here amazing and impressive. I felt so blessed to be part of this initiative. I am so happy to be with so many people from so many different countries and cultures all working in the same spirit of Ramadan to give back and help those who need it. It was heartwarming to see big companies represented by their employees volunteering their time that night. I did not get a chance to meet the workers but I am sure they must have been thrilled to receive their gifts and to know so many people really care for them."
Katie Foster
"I found the experience of being a volunteer to be one of the most meaningful activities I've done in Dubai - my home for the last one year. I've been part of volunteer groups in the US helping the homeless and was very impressed by the organisational skills of the Adopt a Camp organisers. Based on my extensive experience in volunteering and organising large events, this was very well organised considering the breadth of the project - 3,000 boxes, all the supplies that went into the packages and managing the volunteers. The team leaders were very well prepared and kept everything relatively together. Saher [Shaikh] was most responsive and I can see the passion she has for helping those less fortunate than herself.
"If all those different nationalities can work so harmoniously together side-by-side why can't we figure out world peace? The joy and pleasure on the workers' faces when we arrived at their accommodation areas to distribute the boxes made the long night worthwhile.
"The next day at Ibn Battuta Mall I saw a group of workers on break and wondered if any of them were from Jebel Ali... Or if they recognised me. I think every resident of Dubai must set aside some time for volunteer work. I just figured that if I am going to be a real part of the Dubai community I need to get involved with some meaningful work to benefit other people. If you want to call Dubai your home, then you just have to participate when help is needed.
The labourers
Mohammad Hassan (30) from Bangladesh
"I am so happy to receive this. I don't want to know what's in the box, not yet. I am going to wait until morning to open my box. I am going to save the goodies for as long as I can. When we return home, everyone expects a gift and we save the whole year to buy things for our sisters, brothers and parents. I never really could buy a gift for myself and now I have a box full of new things for myself."
Mohammad Arif (23) from India
"When I got the coupon, I decided to reach here early and have been standing since 1am. I always feel very happy to receive gifts. It reminds me of the time when I was young boy and got gifts for my birthday. I received a similar box last year. It is nice to get it as a gift and to know that people have not forgotten us."
Mohammad Shahzad (32) from India
"I am going to pray with renewed energy this morning on a new mat. I would never have bought the rug although I needed one. Now I have it, I am so happy. I really thought our job was to fulfil our duty and come back to our accommodation. I had never thought I would meet anyone who really bothered about us. Tonight I have met so many kind people. There were so many people smiling at us, shaking our hands. I felt great."
Abdul Rahman (33) from Bangladesh
"I am truly overjoyed to receive the gifts. Now I do not have to buy special Eid gifts for my family members. There are so many things I can gift them. My parents, brothers and sisters are going to be so happy to get these gifts. I can't wait to see their faces."
Wasim Abbas (40) from Pakistan
"I have been at the Dubai Investment Park accommodation for three years and this is the second year in a row that I have queued up for the special gifts. It is not that we cannot buy these little things, but we labourers never have time to shop for ourselves... It feels nice that people have thought of our needs and have taken the trouble to give us these supplies."
