Workers' camps around Dubai get helping hand

Appeal delivers boxes packed with items including linen, toiletries, food and cutlery to labour camps.

Hundreds of volunteers participated in the Adopt-a-Camp charity. Sammy Dallal / The National

DUBAI // The annual charity appeal to help improve the lives of men living in labour camps around Dubai has begun a drive for donations and volunteers.

Adopt-A-Camp, which helps thousands of workers in the emirate each Ramadan, is urging the public and businesses to donate.

The charity collects everything from bed linen to energy bars and cutlery, puts the goods in boxes and supplies them to labourers.

"Each of the boxes has about 30 items inside and there are enough supplies to last a labourer for three months," said Saher Shaikh, the charity's founder.

"Last year we had enough items to fill 5,050 boxes and we would love to beat that this time around."

Interest from people eager to volunteer has been growing steadily since the campaign was launched eight years ago.

This year the boxes will be packaged by volunteers over two days, on July 24 and 25, at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

"We have been working very closely with Dubai Chamber and the World Trade Centre and they have allowed us to use the big Sheikh Rashid Hall this time," said Mrs Shaikh. "We had thousands of people volunteer to help last time and hopefully we can get the same if not more this time around."

The July 24 event will be reserved for corporate supporters with the following day open to the public.

The boxes will then be delivered to labourers, with many of the volunteers staying on to help distribute them.

"If people are going to donate we would like them to concentrate on one particular item, be that toothpaste or toiletries," she said.

"This is because it's not a shoebox appeal, the supplies have to be packed into big sturdy boxes."

The charity works in 43 camps and helps more than 32,000 men.

For details on how to help, go to www.adoptacamp.ae or email [e-mail]