Khalifa bin Hendi and his team of volunteers distribute food packages in Al Quoz. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National
Khalifa bin Hendi and his team of volunteers distribute food packages in Al Quoz. Jeffrey E Biteng / The National

Food Drive UAE feed the underprivileged during Ramadan



DUBAI // Every Friday during Ramadan, a group of young men and women have been roaming the city, handing out boxes of food.

They are part of Food Drive UAE, a social initiative set up to help underprivileged families during the holy month.

The team collects food items such as rice, flour, sugar, pasta and oil from the community, then hands out enough to each recipient to feed a family.

“Giving away food supplies to less fortunate families is a tradition in the UAE as it is also a part of our religion or what we call sadaqah, which is voluntary charity,” said Khalifa bin Hendi, 23, founding member of 1971 Social Enterprise.

He said the initiative was open to everyone “as doing good knows no borders” and provides great rewards.

1971 has joined with Social Bandage, a similar social enterprise organisation, and collaborated with the Royati Family Society, Al Abbar Designs and Provedore Restaurant to plan, run and promote the Ramadan food initiative.

Lina Al Killani, head of social projects at Royati Family Society, said the main purpose of the initiative was to remind the public of those who were less fortunate at this time of focus on compassion, empathy and giving.

“The core of the initiative is providing real support for the families and labour workers by supplying essential foods for Ramadan and showing gratitude to them,” Ms Al Killani said.

“We should always unite the communities and bring everyone close in order for us to be in a proper society and a socially aware community.”

The Royati Family Society has a database of information on orphans, widows and others in need in the region, and this has been used to choose to whom the boxes of food are given.

Aisha Harib, 27, founding member of Social Bandage, said the initiative has really grabbed the attention of the community and has had a high turnout of repeat volunteers for the initiative despite the summer’s heat and long hours of fasting.

“We are blessed with a very active group of volunteers who are always excited, ready to help and be ooperative,” Ms Harib said.

“They are all more than happy to be part because volunteering has become a habit and activity they want to be involved in every Ramadan.”

She quoted a hadith by the Prophet Mohammed, which said: “Love for your brother as you love for yourself.”

“We definitely love to help others and try our best to provide them what they need,” Ms Harib said.

“Helping others is an absolutely great feeling. Once you start doing it, you can’t stop.

“We should always remind ourselves of helping others and supporting the community even with some small thing because every little helps.

“Do not underestimate any help you give to others as one small good deed will lead to bigger and better good acts in the future.”

aalkhoori@thenational.ae

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Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

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  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash

Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.

Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.

Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.

Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.

Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.