With all the fuss about, well, eating or not eating during Ramadan, it’s easy to overlook the altruistic aspect of the Holy Month. Lucky for you, we at TOAD haven’t forgotten, so check out our list of ways you can accumulate hasanat (good deeds) this month.
Get involved with The Box Appeal
‘Small box, big difference’ is the slogan for this initiative and we couldn’t agree with it more. This campaign encourages people to donate everyday items to hard-up labourers in Abu Dhabi and Dubai and is running until September 15. All you have to do to get involved is to stop by either the Park Inn or Radisson Blu on Yas Island and collect a box from the lobby. Staff will provide you with a list of approved items to donate – these include caps, t-shirts, disposable razors, shaving cream, aftershave, talcum powder, toothbrush, toothpaste, nail clippers, small hand towels, combs and shampoo – and return the filled box to the hotel. It will be passed on to the Red Crescent who will then bring them to labour camps in the UAE and hand them out to labourers.
For more information visit The Box Appeal’s Facebook page, or call Park Inn (02 656 2222) or Radisson Blu (02 656 2000).
Donate blood
When one quick blood donation can save the lives of up to three people, there can’t be many good reasons not to visit the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank at least once this month. Any healthy adult, male or female between the age of 18 and 65 who weighs at least 50kg and is not under a doctor’s care for any serious problem, can be a donor and hospitals are always in need of regular blood donations. Your donation could help an accident victim, cancer patient, someone undergoing surgery or suffering from anaemia as well as a whole host of other conditions. If you think others in your workplace or community would be interesting in donating too, you can set up a blood drive. A mobile blood bank will visit a location of your choosing and take blood on the spot.
Abu Dhabi Blood Bank, Al Khalidiyah Street 02 8191700.
Make a feline friend
Feline Friends has been dedicated to improving the lives of cats and kittens in the UAE for over ten years. Staffed entirely by volunteers, they help domesticated cats to find new homes, provide rescue and relief to sick and injured cats, and control the population of street cats by sterilisation and release programs. You can help them out either by volunteering at the organization, or donating to help keep the charity running. Or, of course, you could even find a home for a cat yourself with their fostering program.
Details of their regular adoption days are posted on their website www.felinefriendsuae.com, or call 050 582-2916 for general and emergency enquiries, 050 823-1569 for homing and fostering or 050 582-2916 for volunteering.
Adopt a turtle
The Marine Turtle Conservation Project researches and protects Hawksbill turtles, which are an endangered species due to habitat destruction, accidental capture by commercial fishing, human harvesting and collection of eggs, pollution and climate change. You can support the project by purchasing a rather cute Turtle Adoption Pack, which includes a cuddly toy turtle, an adoption certificate, a sticker, and a photo card with turtle facts. It’s the perfect gift for any environmentally conscious friends or younger members of the family. Dhs200 per pack.
www.uae.panda.org.
Raise money for kids with special needs
Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi has an ongoing campaign to raise Dhs150,000 to buy a a 32-seat mini bus for the kids of Al Noor Centre for Special Needs Care and Rehabilitation. During Ramadan, a donation of Dhs5 will be made towards the cause for every person who dines at The Garden restaurant’s Iftar buffet. So if you’re at a loss where to go to break fast tonight, why not choose here, where at least part of the money you spend goes to a good cause? Of course you don’t have to just let the Crowne Plaza do the donating for you, you can always give money through the straightforward ‘Donate’ section of their website.
www.alnoorspneeds.ae.
View our comprehensive Ramadan guide here
Volunteer in Abu Dhabi
Lots of people get put off volunteering because they can’t commit to a fixed timetable or minimum amount of hours. Volunteer in Abu Dhabi cleverly gets around this problem, as it works by connecting anyone who can spare time to the charities that need them. All you need to do is sign up online, and they’ll let you know whenever there is an event or project you can contribute to and then you’re free to volunteer as little or as much time as you can. Right now Volunteer in Abu Dhabi are hosting a series of sessions to type out copies of books in English or Arabic that can then be converted into Braille for blind readers.
Sign up at www.volunteerinabudhabi.com for updates about when you can get involved.
Host a charity bazaar
What’s a quicker way to make a quick buck for charity then just gathering together all the old things you don’t want anymore and selling them off? Get together with friends and host a sale in your garage, or even your living room (provided the goods aren’t too grubby of course) then donate all the proceeds to a charity of your choice. If you’re not quite up for hosting an event yourself, you can always start collecting items for the Sheraton Abu Dhabi’s Second Hand Bazaar which will be held on September 17. The bazaar is part of its Road to Awareness 2011 fundraising initiative which aims to raise US$250,000 (Dhs918,000) for UNICEF’s education programmes in Pakistan and Romania.
Reservations should be made in advance at (02 677 3333) or martina.venus@sheraton.com. One table booking includes two chairs and is available at Dhs250 per table and Dhs200 for early bookers (booking before September 8, 2011).
Be environmentally friendly
You know the drill – switch off lights when you’re not in the room, don’t leave taps running, reuse plastic bags, use recycling bins for your household waste. Simple stuff but it still counts. And just so you’ve no excuses, the Abu Dhabi Government website has a helpful list of recycling sites around the city.
www.abudhabi.ae.
Donate a dirham
If you have an ADCB account, you have the opportunity to donate one dirham to the Red Crescent every time you withdraw cash from one of their ATM machines. The dirham is transferred directly to the Red Crescent, one of the UAE’s leading charities, who support humanitarian operations worldwide. If you’re not an ADCB account holder, why not just make the effort to drop a few dirhams into a charity collection box whenever you pass one this month. It all adds up.
Support a labourer
By speaking on the phone to a labourer, for five minutes just once or twice a week, you could change their life, says the Adopt a Labourer campaign. All you need to do is make yourself available to chat occasionally and give advice, as often labourers don’t have access to even basic information that could empower them and help improve their lives. According to organisers, questions are often as simple as what the visa requirements are for bringing family to the UAE. Why not help them out?
www.adoptalaborer.com.
