Dubai: Every time Eid El Fitr comes around, Maha Khan and Mudassar Munaff make sure they have a ready stock of brand new T-shirts, which they distribute among hundreds of workers.
Spreading the cheer of festive occasions at workers’ accommodations is something of a calling for the two expatriates and, since they first took part in such a campaign in 2013, there has been no looking back.
They were able to distribute over 10,000 packets of refreshments for iftar to Muslim and non-Muslim workers this Ramadan with the help of some of their family and friends.
On Thursday, the duo headed off to an area close to workers’ accommodations in Ajman, surprising 500 workers with presents of brand new T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan ‘There is you and I in humanity.’ Each worker also received packets of snacks.
“We wanted them to have something new to wear when they go to pray tomorrow,” said Khan, a Sharjah-based Pakistani expat and an English teacher. “They feel so happy to see that someone has remembered them on Eid.”
Khan, who has been living in the UAE for 33 years, said a big part of celebrating Eid is having to shop for new clothes “and most of these labourers cannot afford to buy something new; this is why every year during such occasions, we come together with the help of some volunteers from our own social circle to gift wrap T-shirts so they look like proper gifts and then distribute them.”
She said that the gifts are always distributed to random workers, even if they are not celebrating Eid. “We never look at religion because we are doing this for humanity.”
Munaff said some of the workers express surprise while others try to hide their emotions “because they are not used to people giving them presents on Eid.”
Mohammad Jamshed, a worker from Bangladesh who was visiting China Mall in Ajman, said he didn’t expect to receive something new to wear.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m so happy and surprised to get this gift,” he said.
When asked about his plans for Eid, he said, “I’m planning to stay up all night and then go to the prayers tomorrow. I will visit some friends and then spend some time with them at the park or a shopping mall.”
Another worker from Bangladesh, Zeesha, said, “We came here to get something to wear for Eid, but now we will wear this shirt after prayers. Tomorrow, I’ll call my family back home and cook something for myself.”
Munaff, an Indian running an IT business, said it feels good to sacrifice something to make workers happy. “It does take time to get everything prepared, packed and distributed, but we enjoy it.”
The challenge is to make sure everybody receives something and no one is left out.
“We did face an issue earlier where we ran short of items to distribute because another shift of workers arrived while we had a specific number in mind, but then we promised to get them something and came back the next day. Now, to avoid such instances, we speak to the camp boss before announcing a distribution to know how many labourers would be there during that time,” said Munaff.
The duo told Gulf News that they feel happy to have been able to reach so many workers this Ramadan and that they are planning to extend their charitable work further. They said they thought about distributing snacks around iftar time because they felt most workers stayed hungry between iftar and suhour.
“We don’t ask people to donate to these campaigns. We contribute ourselves and get the support we need from our friends and family,” Khan said. “The idea came about when we realised that a lot of money goes to waste during Ramadan with tent bookings and that the money can be used to make a difference in these labourers’ lives.”
In an earlier charity effort, Khan and Munaff distributed 545 T-shirts to workers last new year’s eve.
