ABU DHABI // The Bangladesh Embassy is raising funds for the families of its nationals that died in a crash in Al Ain earlier this month.
The incident involving a lorry and a bus full of workers killed 21 men on February 4, including 19 Bangladeshis, and left 24 injured. The move comes after the embassy already assured the families - many of whom have been struggling financially after the death of their breadwinner more than three weeks ago - that they will receive compensation, once the necessary court documents are submitted.
This assurance is in addition to the year's salary each of the families have been promised by the UAE Government after the tragic incident.
"The UAE Government has given us hope," said Mohammed Idris Mian, who lost two sons, in Chittagong last week. "They have given us hope in our hearts to live."
The issue for families in Bangladesh now is that it can take between three to six months for the bureaucratic process of releasing funds to come to a successful conclusion.
The Bangladesh Embassy yesterday said that any donations from the public would be greatly received and would be accumulated in a bank account before being distributed to families.
Those looking to make a donation should make cheques out to "Embassy of Bangladesh in Abu Dhabi" and either hand them over directly to officials at the embassy in the Al Rowdah area, Delma Street, Abu Dhabi, or deposit them at Janata Bank, a Bangladeshi bank in Abu Dhabi's Electra Street. In both instances, the purpose of the donation should be clearly stated.
anwar@thenational.ae
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It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
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Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
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There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
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They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
