Community groups reach out to distressed workers with aid
abu dhabi — Members of various communities have come forward to support each other during the Covid-19 pandemic.
While thousands of people continue to #StayHome and many are in quarantine, communities in coordination with missions and well-wishers have been able to ensure basic necessities are fulfilled.
Help for workers without salary
Around 60 workers in Mussafah haven’t been paid for months as the owner reportedly went missing. After long court cases, the workers had resigned to their fate and were planning to leave for good when the travel restrictions were imposed.
With no work, money and food, their life was miserable until help came from social worker Ganesh Kumar.
“They aren’t paid for eight to 10 months. We used to provide them food and moral support,” Kumar said. “Now, we purchase the essentials and deliver it to their accommodation. The Covid-19 situation has come at the worst time for them.”
Kumar coordinated with the Indian Embassy’s Community Affairs wing and provided relief packets to the workers on Sunday. “Officials handed over food provisions for one month to 59 Indian workers at the ACTCO labour accommodation in Mussafah,” the embassy said.
Aid provided in phases
The Bangladesh Association Abu Dhabi is taking care of distressed expats with assistance provided in phases.
“We have volunteers at the head office here, Sharjah and Fujairah branches. We provide food and medical kits to distressed expats. We have given such kits to up to 1,500 people in different emirates,” said Bangladesh Association —UAE president Mohammad Moazzem Hossain. “We update the list of people in need. Now, we enter the next phase during Ramadan. We will provide kits to last a month.”
There are many smaller community groups that have united to support those in a spot.“We are reaching out to as many people as possible in the city and industrial areas. We are coordinating with the Bangladesh Embassy,” Hossain said.
Volunteers make cloth masks
Kerala Social Centre (KSC) Abu Dhabi is in the forefront with the support of other groups like Shakti Theatres, Yuvalakala Sahithi, Kala Abu Dhabi and Friends ADMS. The centre has so far delivered food kits and medicines to more than 2,000 needy people. “We have formed different squads and assigned duties to them,” KSC’s K K Sreevalsan said. The women’s wing is engaged in making and distributing free cloth masks.
More than a dozen women, with help of family members, make the masks that are then distributed to the needy.
IIC turned into a relief centre
Indian Islamic Centre (IIC) sees a flurry of activity all day long. There are also volunteers from the Kerala Muslim Cultural Centre, with a special team to monitor the entire operations.
“There are many people, who have come on visit visa and exhausted their resources.
Some others who work in small shops lost jobs and there are people in quarantine and isolation. We receive calls from all these categories of people and provide basic necessities of any kind — food, essentials, cloth etc. We cater to 750 to 800 people twice a day.
“Our office is a relief centre now,” said M.P.M. Rasheed, general secretary, Indian Islamic Centre. With the onset of Ramadan, the centre is aiming to provide people with essential products to cook food. “There will be no more iftars and tents, so we intend to provide food to those in need.”
Using WhatsApp as a lifeline
Restaurant owners Anwar Sadath and Ibrahim Kanjiramukku started a WhatsApp group to reach as many hungry people as possible. They have a few donors and restaurants to help fuel their drive.
“We first received some phone calls seeking help. We soon realised that there will be many more who have lost jobs and with no money. So, we created a WhatsApp group to spread the word. Soon, many well-wishers joined to help us. We now distribute 600 food packets to people in Mussafah, Baniyas and other remote areas,” Sadath and Kanjiramukku said.
Ramadan kit distribution starts
Volunteers from the Abu Dhabi chapter of Indian NGO Markaz ICF have been distributing food kits for past few weeks to affected people and now started delivering Ramadan packets.
“So far, we have distributed 2,000 food packs and medicine kits,” ICF national president Usmansaquafi Thiruvathra said. “We have started distribution of 250 Ramadan food kits to affected people, including 50 families and 200 bachelors, who are placed under quarantine. Each kit includes 23kg rice, 2kg sugar, 2lt cooking oil, wheat products, oats, salt, spices, fruits and vegetables.”