COMMUNITY HELPS THOSE IN DISTRESS
The socio-economic misery caused by the pandemic has seen several Good Samaritans going out of their way to help the needy.
‘We offer manpower and transport for free’
Viraj Manickam, 34, former Australian pilot in Dubai
Through his wife Sharmini’s maintenance services company, Manickam is offering free carpentry, electrical, handyman, painting and AC services to those who have lost jobs. “We decided to offer our manpower and transport for free, especially for items that they were trying to sell which would normally cost them a lot to dissemble, transport and re-assemble at a buyer’s house. The response has been overwhelming.”
‘It seemed right to offer them a free memento’
Paula Hainey, photographer from UK offers free photoshoots for those leaving the UAE for good
The resident of Dubai for seven years, who usually charges Dh1,500 per shoot, said, “It seemed right to give up my time to offer them a free memento.” With shoot locations on Black Palace Beach and the Pointe, she said: “I am determined to get to them all, although I have currently 200 messages sitting there and requests are currently coming in as quickly as I am dealing with them.”
‘I decided to use my skills to help others’
Helen Loveday, 47, British expat offer pro-bono life coach consultations to those laid off
The UAE resident for 14 years and a life coach for 11 years is giving free consultations to those affected in the travel and tourism industry. “Following redundancies and speaking with friends who had been personally affected, I was really touched by their plight,” she said. “Recently, owing to the pandemic, I have also found myself with some additional free time so I thought of using my skills to help others in distress,” she said.
‘Birthdays are special for children’
Paola Heyes, 43, Mexican bakes birthday cakes for children whose parents have lost jobs
The mother of two was moved to tears seeing expats lose jobs and leave the UAE. “I knew I had to do something. So I decided to bake cakes for children celebrating their birthdays in Dubai whose parents were affected in the pandemic. Birthdays are special for children and should not be ruined just because of a pandemic,” she said.