At Kite Beach, I met a man who feeds 100k workers a month
Iwas soaking some sun one weekend when I spotted what turned out to be my favourite story of the year.
On the way back from a jet ski tour with my friend on Jumeirah’s Kite Beach, we made a stop to get a cup of karak tea. Our car driver pointed out to two tall men walking by the beach holding huge bags of food.
“You see those two men?”, the driver asked me, “they come here every day to distribute food to the needy.”
Without hesitating, I rushed out of the car and ran towards the men who were speaking to the crowd of cleaners and workers. Approaching them in beachwear, my hair wet, and red spots on my skin that reflected a day under the sun, I told the men, “Look, this is difficult to explain, but I’m a journalist and I would love to write about your initiative. Would you mind giving me your business card so I can contact you in the week?”
I did not know if I seemed convincing, given my far-from-professional appearance, but I didn’t expect to have stumbled on a story that would inspire dozens of people to start contributing to those in need. My eyes widened when the man who introduced himself as Imran Karim told me they served 100,000 workers a month.
“I normally refuse to talk about what I do to serve others. But here’s my business card, I will do it to inspire others. Just refrain from focusing too much on us and our pictures more than the deed itself,” Imran, a Malawi national and chairman of a telecoms company in Dubai, told me. Karim is often joined by his brother Mohammed, his driver and other volunteers. Once a month, Karim distributes bags of medicines and toiletries to the site workers.
Later that week, I joined him and his brother at a construction site behind Kite Beach at 5pm. I was amazed to see 300 workers rush to line up in a queue at the mere sight of Imran’s car approaching, stocked with hundreds of bags of chips, cakes and soft drinks to be given to workers after a long day at work.
“We dedicate two hours every day after work to these men. They are alone with no family to listen to their concerns or needs. We are their family,” Karim said. After a long day of meetings, he said, serving workers was his spiritual break. It gave him a peace of mind, away from his cellphone and other distractions. His sentence affects me as the last time I chose to look over my hectic schedule to help someone else was over three years ago.
Imran not only distributed food and drinks to workers, but spends time listening to their concerns. On the labourers’ bus, he hands a tube of ointment to a worker. “He’s among three people who had a rash on site this morning, so this cream soothes it.”
When serving workers in queue, Imran gave me a bag of chips to distribute to workers. Having never done it before, I felt awkward. “Come on, you have to contribute!” he encouraged me.
After everyone got their share of snacks, workers were seen grouping together on site, sitting by the side of the road having their soft drinks and chatting over cupcakes with big smiles on their face. “Happy happy,” they said, giving me a thumbs-up. That’s the name of Imran’s initiative. When I asked about the reason for naming the initiative ‘happy happy’, Karim said: “In one distribution, when my brother was handing out food, he looked at a worker and asked ‘happy?’, the worker replied ‘happy happy’”.
The food distribution then moves along Kite Beach. Karim ends the two-hour journey at a mosque in Umm Suqeim, where more people are fed. Laban and chips are distributed to 300 workers at the mosque. Waiters, cleaners and children are served too. “The guests we serve at the mosque are of over 12 nationalities and different religions and backgrounds, we do not discriminate any race and colour,” Imran told Khaleej Times.
Karim showed me videos of toys and Eid clothes distributions in India, Pakistan and Iraq. “My daughters help me pack the sweets and toys.” He distributed toys and food to 1,100 children last December.
In the videos, his family is preparing large numbers of hot meals to be served to 5,000 workers on weekends. Thursdays are a major food distribution day for the family, reaching 7,000 workers at construction sites.
The UAE-based labourers and cleaners are not the only beneficiaries of Karim’s philanthropy, as he has already taken his ‘happy happy’ initiative globally to about 14 other countries. He helped in rebuilding Kerala, distributing to families affected by the floods that ravaged the south Indian state this year.
Karim is no stranger to also organising Ramadan iftars to over 5,000 workers, but he makes sure philanthropy continues all year long.
As soon as the article was published, I was bombarded by calls from residents asking to contribute to Imran’s initiative. Imran tells me he started seeing other people distributing food on Kite Beach and next to his residence in Emirates Hills. St. Mary’s Church contacted me, asking for Imran’s number to coordinate with him in serving over 500 workers, an event that worked out. Karim says, “Helping and giving should be part of every day.”
I joined Karim and his brother Mohammed at a site behind Kite Beach at 5pm.
I was amazed to see some 300 workers rush to queue up at the mere sight of Imran’s car