How a 17-year-old is reshaping student volunteering for Dubai’s workers

The queue stretched across a Dubai construction site as 800 workers waited for their meals. Only five volunteers had arrived to serve them, leaving each person waiting far longer than necessary. For Radhika Prabhu, a 17-yearold student at GEMS Modern Academy, the scene revealed a frustrating gap in the city’s volunteering ecosystem: community programmes needed reliable hands, while students eager to help had no easy way to find them.

“On days with a full team of volunteers, distribution was completed in just under 40 minutes,” Prabhu says of her experience with FeedALabour. On this occasion, the process took twice as long. “Seeing hundreds of faces waiting patiently for such a small yet necessary joy led me to realise that even meticulously organised initiatives were constantly hindered by low volunteer turnout.”

Prabhu knew dozens of students who were actively searching for opportunities to serve. “Dedicated events lacked turnout while eager volunteers lacked access,” she says. That operational disconnect became the foundation for LabourLink, her platform connecting volunteers with programmes serving Dubai’s blue-collar community.

She began by gathering details of initiatives conducted by accredited, Community Development Authorityapproved organisations. She personally developed a coordination system using Microsoft Forms, while UniHawk’s webinars, boot camps and guidance helped her transform the growing interest into a structured initiative capable of expanding.

“I connect directly with CDAapproved event organisers to verify event details and locations,” she explains. Once verified, the opportunities are published through LabourLink’s WhatsApp group and Instagram feed. Volunteers register using online forms and receive guidance on enrolling through the DubaiNow app, which ensures their participation is officially recognised and their service hours are recorded. These records can also support students during college applications.

The programmes cover a wide range of needs. Volunteers distribute dry food at construction sites, hand out water during hot weather, provide blankets in cooler months and organise ice cream drives. Others teach conversational English, computer literacy and financial literacy, or conduct crochet sessions.

The platform’s growth was gradual. “During the first month, I struggled with only 10 to 15 volunteers,” Prabhu says. She approached school networks, parent groups and her personal social circles, building awareness largely through word of mouth. As registrations increased, balancing school with high-volume logistics became another challenge. Ramadan and holiday periods demanded particularly close daily coordination.

LabourLink has now onboarded more than 350 members who have contributed over 4,500 volunteer hours. Its programmes have directly benefited more than 10,000 workers across Dubai.

One Ramadan initiative offered powerful evidence of the demand for accessible volunteering. Prabhu shared details of a meal distribution in Naif organised by Dubai Police. Nearly 70 people contacted her about participating in that single event. “This proved that when opportunities are made accessible, community engagement naturally follows,” she says.

A dedicated LabourLink website is scheduled to launch next month, featuring a live stream of events that will make opportunities easier to discover. Prabhu’s longer-term ambitions extend beyond digital coordination and beyond Dubai.

“Over the next five years, I aim to expand LabourLink’s footprint to other emirates,” she says. She also hopes to work with healthcare providers to deliver free medical screenings, eye care and basic medication directly to labour camps.