Volunteer Day - Care packages for Labourers

For those of you interested in helping out:

Volunteer Day to assemble Care Packages for Labourers is August 21st, we'll be assembling the packages from 10am to 5:00 pm and then going directly to the labour camps to distribute them.

Join in whenever suits you. We're hoping to make at least 1000 packages. The Shelter in Al-Quoz has kindly offered its premises for Volunteer Day.

Bring your kids, your parents, your friends. Last time was a terrific, community-building, heart-warming experience for all of us.

We will also be doing a Hygiene Workshop at the camps alongwith distributing the packages. Trying to give practical help and some education of a sort to help them improve their living conditions. The don't have mothers/wives/sisters here so will give them some practical advice on how to take better care of themselves and their surroundings.

Each package will contain 3 months worth of toiletries, one month's worth of food items (especially dates, energy drinks and other items to make their iftaars a blessing after a hard day of fasting) and items that labourers themselves have said will really make a huge difference in their quality of life.

Thank you for all your incredible support and generousity creating the first mass batch of Care Packages for Labourers. The final headcount was 834 cartons! Meaning that 834 men got 3 months worth of supplies each to help them through the terribly hot summer months.

Since then, some other labourers heard about our project and got in touch, humbly asking for our help. They gave me a list of items that they felt would make a huge difference to their lives here. Honestly, the labourers' help-list is so simple and basic that it's quite heart-breaking. There are items such as "pillow cover with no lice" and "socks". At this camp, they have to eat their food off aluminium foil and a "plate" was another one of their wishes.

Helping these men by providing them with a pillow-cover "with no lice" is surely the least we can do during Ramadan to bring some dignity into their lives and to show them that there ARE people who care.

Please give zakaat/donations in monetary form or by donating items. Procuring at wholesale prices, same as last time, each complete package will cost around 160 Dhs. Every little bit counts.

Deadline for donations is Tuesday, August 18th. If you're bringing supplies, please let me know by Tuesday what you'll be bringing so that I can place the final orders accordingly on Wednesday.

ITEMS STILL NEEDED:

- Tang Energy Drink - we need 2000 1kg packs or 4000 0.5kg packs
- Glucose Energy Biscuits - 2000 packs
- we are ordering 1000 new mattresses at 35AED each - cash donations are needed for this
- cash towards items that still need to be ordered
- your time!

The aim of the Summer Care Packages was to help them through the searing summer months. The aim of the Ramadan Packages is to give them a fresh, clean start...a gift of humanity and dignity.

Together we can make a difference. We've done it before. We can do it again.



Visit their facebook group for more information:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=116032589597&ref=share

Location Map

Fujairah Country Fair

As one of the fundraisers for Fujairah Welfare Association and New Youth Orphanage in Nepal, a few of us (most in Fujairah) are holding a Country Fair - UAE style - at the Fujairah Tennis and Country Club on 30th January (this friday) from 2 - 7pm. Its a family day out with clowns, face painting, henna, coconut shy, hoopla, ugly mug competition and loads more. There are lots of stuff on sale from home-made jams to books and jewellery. There is a flea market and a white elephant stall too.

We also have a stand for Red Crescent who are on a drive to collect clothes, food and medicine for Gaza.

Every little bit helps. So if you are in Fujairah do join us. If you are anywhere else and want something fun to do - join us. You have fun and we raise funds to help a few families get a future.

For more information on our project, visit www.trekkingfornepal.com

Drive to save six-year-old boy with leukaemia

Every day, six-year old Erriszel Cortez prays that he can go to Italy and be healed, something that seems out of reach due to the financial cost.

But this Friday, that prayer comes closer to becoming a reality with a charity motorcade organised by a Filipino motorsports club, along with the support of the Filipino community and Philippine Consulate General.

read more at Gulfnews By Nina Muslim, Staff Reporter


For more information regarding the Motor parade on friday click here

or To register and for more details please call 050-2599579

Labourer care packs

Here is a brilliant idea - food and care packs for needy labourers.

I only just found out about this or I would have posted it here earlier. Click the link for details of the packs. There are only two collections left:

Wednesday 31st: ~ 08:00 to 10:00 at Town Centre (Spinneys) Mirdiff.
Thursday 1st: ~ 08:00 to 10.00 at Ibn Battuta Geant end, upper level carpark.

Hopefully the organisers will repeat the scheme as this may be too short notice for many people.