When the weekend rolls around, an increasing number of young women are shunning the malls, turning their back on the beach and instead dedicating their spare time to charitable pursuits. Friday talks to six women whose lives have been enriched through volunteering.
The clunk of shop shutters rising signals the start of another busy weekend in Dubai's malls, and across the city thousands of young women are getting ready for another day of pounding the shops, making a dent in their credit cards. For those who are all shopped out, the beach beckons and they relax with friends under the scorching summer sun.
But there is a new breed of young women in the UAE who are choosing to shun the frivolous side of life and instead dedicate their free time to charitable causes and philanthropic pursuits. For these women, spare time away from jobs or studies is spent volunteering at charity events; collecting donations; filling care parcels; fund-raising for expeditions and endeavouring to make the world a more bearable place to live for those in need.
We talk to six women for whom philanthropy has become an integral part of their lives. They open up about how they first became involved in charitable work, and the impact it has had on their lives. From confidence-building to enhanced social interaction to simply the warm glow that helping those less fortunate brings, each details a profound shift in her mentality that marked the start of a lifelong involvement in charitable pursuits, which after all, beats getting sunburned on the beach any day.
Lana and Layal Abuhamdeh, 18-year-old twins
Palestinian
Students at The Universal American School, Dubai
Coming from Palestine, having the understanding of the unfortunate situation there and the millions of people who live in appalling conditions, we have always felt the need to help those less fortunate than we are. We share the position of president of student volunteers for the Palestine Children's Relief Fund (PCRF), a non-political organisation set up to help children and war victims from Palestine.
We promote awareness for the cause through sponsored events such as marathons and trekking expeditions; we help fund-raise for medical missions that aid children by organising charity events such as gala dinners, and we are always thinking up new money-generating schemes.
Recently we directed and staged a play called One New Message. We cast our friends in this comedy, they did a great job and we managed to raise a lot of money for the organisation. It was also a fantastic way to get the whole PCRF staff involved. Whenever injured or physically challenged child war victims visit Dubai for medical treatment we act as hosts and spend time with them, which motivates us to continue with what we're doing.
It is great to work with people who share the same aspirations; it brings the Palestinian community closer. Whether it is reaching our fund-raising goals or gaining more supporters, each success is a step forward in saving or improving a life. Being able to successfully improve the lives of others is greater than anything else we have accomplished in our lives; it gives us a sense of optimism and determination. We have learnt how to apply our leadership qualities by taking the initiative to help those in need; most people feel sympathy for those children, but actions really do speak louder than words and it takes commitment to change a life for the better.
Nadeen Alalami, 16
Palestinian-Jordanian
Student at Al Mawakeb School, Al Barsha
My interest in charity was first sparked during my freshman year of high school when I joined the humanitarian club. I was involved in raising funds to help underprivileged families and war victims in Palestine.
I loved the idea of giving a helping hand to those in need, so I began searching for other volunteering opportunities. The first event I signed up for was the Abu Dhabi Terry Fox Run during my sophomore year. After that, I began doing some community work in Abu Dhabi through my school, and serving with several organisations including Dubai Cares, Volunteer in Dubai and Volunteer in Abu Dhabi.
The different activities I've been involved in - from book sales, blood donation drives, beach clean-ups, charity sales to working with children, helping with the Safe and Sound breast cancer awareness campaign, and fund-raising for the Emirates Arthritis Foundation - have given me an opportunity to meet like-minded people who are giving back to society.
When doing voluntary work I feel my life has meaning, like I have affected the world positively. And that is the best feeling of all. Volunteering is an essential part of who I am; I try to volunteer at least twice a month, and when I don't, I feel incomplete. Charity uplifts my spirit and puts me on the right path in life. It reminds me that there are still good people in this world, just as there are those who need help from them.
The best part is I always feel the positive energy while volunteering. Whether it is the enthusiasm of my co-volunteers, the smile of a child that I'm helping or the feeling of accomplishment after a long day of working with charities, volunteering always puts a smile on my face, no matter how tired I am at the end of the day.
However, the most challenging part for me is when I am trying to raise awareness about a certain cause, and find that most people are apathetic or indifferent regarding that subject. Although it hurts to see that some people would rather stay in the dark when it comes to hearing about pressing issues that hurt our world, their indifference flares up my passion and encourages me to speak louder, and clearer in order to get the message across.
Hattie Smith, 27
New Zealander
Secondary school science teacher
I have been involved in charitable causes since early childhood, whether it was selling ribbons for breast cancer campaigns, poppies for Anzac Day, or going door-to-door collecting for various organisations back in New Zealand or volunteering at local shelters. I guess the values ingrained in me by my family and my teachers led to an enthusiasm for getting involved in good causes.
After being in Dubai nearly a year I was lucky enough to be asked to act as a Teacher Leader on a Service and Leadership trip we were running at school, which involved fund-raising for our sponsor orphanage in Kenya. This money enabled us to buy the much-needed medical supplies, construction materials, livestock, clothes, toys and food.
Last year I also facilitated a Pakistan relief drive, which was organised just after the country was hit by devastating floods. We encouraged students to donate food and water for flood victims, which we packaged and had shipped to the beneficiaries.
When you come face-to-face with people who're less fortunate than yourself you cannot help but be affected. The gratitude they show at the smallest things is humbling and it becomes impossible to just turn your back on it all. The moment of leaving a project is really hard, knowing that you get to go home to all the modern comforts we are fortunate to have. It was amazing to see the change in the students we took to Kenya, I believe they have a deeper appreciation for the world around them.
For most of the children we worked with, there is no light at the end of the tunnel. It plays on your conscience knowing how much you could still do to help. I strongly believe charitable work is an experience all students should have. They are our future generations and no one but them can continue to make a difference.
Zaw Ali, 19
Pakistani
When I finished my studies last year, I found myself bored with lots of time on my hands, so I started out on a quest to do something useful. After a few internet searches I came across an interesting website called Volunteer in Dubai (VID). I heard my mind go ‘ding', and found myself doing volunteer work for the very first time, which turned out to be a pretty amazing experience.
I've helped out on Pink Ribbon Book Club Sales that are organised at BurJuman by the VID team, whose objective is to sell used books at very cheap prices. We raised Dh90,000 in one day, with all proceeds going towards offering free mammograms for women in order to help detect and prevent breast cancer at an early stage.
I was also involved in the Pink Walkathon that was held last year, and was a huge success, with thousands of people taking part.
It was a great experience as I had never done anything like that before. I've also been volunteering at an event called Blood Donor UAE-Donation Camp, which is also organised by the VID team almost every month. We attract a lot of people whose donations make a direct impact on human lives in the UAE.
Honestly, each minute has been an experience on its own. I have learnt to work with teams, and also be proactive individually. It is inspiring to see so many faces that never frown over the responsibility they've been delegated to do, and I am constantly astonished by the positive energy radiated by each and every individual who has been helping out.
Now that I've started it, I definitely feel that it is beginning to be an important aspect of my life because it makes me feel useful and it has broadened my horizons.
I wouldn't have known how important life was, and after learning more about how illnesses like cancer affect people, you start to feel protective about yourself and those around you.
I'm much more passionate about spreading the word and making sure that I make a difference in the world.
I want to keep on supporting charities, helping out whenever I can, and basically earning brownie points for my conscience!
Tamara Samman, 18
Syrian
Student at The Universal American School, Dubai
Volunteering at the Rainbow Centre in Malindi, Kenya, was a life-changing experience.
I had deliberated over my decision to go to Africa last year as I was initially a little intimidated by the commitment of raising such a huge sum of money that was needed. But our team of ten students collectively raised over $20,000 (about Dh73,400) through bake and garage sales, school events, donations and sponsors, and it was amazing to have such a strong feeling of attainment and gratitude, and that has stayed with me to this day.
When we arrived at the orphanage, we donated the clothes and toys that we'd brought with us from Dubai. We gave them a pregnant cow that would provide milk after calving; we bought them goats and fish, and a year's worth of medical supplies for the hospital that was part of the orphanage. We then set about building a designated unit for physically challenged children.
The feeling of appreciation and achievement you get when you see the smiles on their faces is immeasurable.
Other than my expedition to Kenya, I have assembled boxes filled with necessities for the people of Gaza through Dubai Cares; interacted with injured Palestinian children through the Palestine Children's Relief Fund. I have also volunteered at a fun fair at the Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs.
Volunteering and fund-raising are an important part of my life now, and I try to incorporate charity into my life whenever I can. I had an individual investigation project at school and I decided to create a cupcake business and test out various recipes from scratch.
I had a bake sale at school and donated all the proceeds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. It felt so right donating money in order to help grant wishes of children who are ill.
I'm really thankful I got the opportunity to do all of this volunteering and charity work while I'm still at school, as I know it has, and will continue to have, a real impact on the way that I feel and act.
Inside info
For more information on how you can volunteer in the UAE visit:
www.dubaicares.ae
www.volunteerindubai.com
www.volunteerinabudhabi.com
www.alnoorspneeds.ae
http://community.pcrf.net/
Charlotte Butterfield is a Dubai-based freelance writer
