UAE nursery donates 50kg of clothes to Taal Volcano evacuees

British Orchard Nursery chain teaches importance of care and service after Philippine disaster

Schoolchildren pack clothing donations at British Orchard Nursery. Courtesy British Orchard Nursery

The lesson of the day was empathy and generosity at British Orchard Nursery, where the school community banded together to ship 50kg of clothes to Filipinos affected by the Taal Volcano eruption.

The clothes were packed by pupils at the 13 branches of the nursery chain across the UAE.

The packages are being sent to the Philippines, where hundreds of thousands of people were forced to evacuate due to an eruption on January 12 and continuing volcanic activity.

As of January 28, 300,000 people remain in evacuation centres or with family and friends, according to the Philippines’ Department of Social Welfare and Development.

“In this rapidly shrinking world, it’s important that children learn about the trials that people across the globe are suffering; this will help them to grow into more sensitive and empathetic human beings,” said Dr Vandana Gandhi, chief executive and founder of British Orchard Nursery.

“Instead of just lip-service, we at British Orchard Nursery believe in practical steps, and by shipping clothes donated by children, parents and staff, we wanted to instill and highlight the values of generosity, kindness and sympathy for the less privileged.

“The tragedy of Taal Volcano was closer to home, given the large Filipino community that UAE hosts, and we want to stand by them in this troubled time.”