BIG-HEARTED individuals from across the kingdom are donating goods and lending a helping hand to the less fortunate to ensure no one goes hungry during Ramadan.
Community campaigns being organised by charity champions have been a huge success with tonnes of food and clothing already donated and more are on the way.
The Rotary Club of Adliya, which was founded in 1994 and is currently one of the seven Rotary Clubs in Bahrain involved in giving back to the community both locally and internationally, launched the Eyeglass Donation Project with Optica, the Dar UCO elderly day care centre and Seef Properties in a bid to give the gift of sight to seniors.
“This project is part of our community service programme and this time we wanted to do something for the elderly in need,” said Rotarian Seema Ahmed.
“It also fits in perfectly with Rotary’s ideals of saving the environment by reusing items in good condition – this is where our partnership with Optica and Dar UCO gains relevance. Seef Properties has been very helpful in providing us with strategic locations as collection points.”
People are being encouraged to bring their old, unused pairs of eyeglasses (in decent form) to any of the Seef Mall properties in Manama, Isa Town, Muharraq or Hamala and drop them off in the donation boxes. Optica will collect the glasses, recycle them and provide the gift of clear sight to the elderly in need who are registered with Dar UCO and other care facilities.
For details, follow @rotaryclubofadliya on Instagram.
Meanwhile, the unregistered, not-for-profit charity champions, OneHeart Bahrain, has been focusing on feeding the needy with their ‘Together We Give, Together We Eat’ Ramadan campaign.
“Our campaign encourages the community to come together as one family to share their time and resources in providing warm meals to those in need,” said Noor Murad, a volunteer at OneHeart Bahrain and the Project and Art Co-ordinator for its Ramadan campaign.
“We aim to feed the less fortunate and give back to our community that does so much for us and our island, while also letting them know that they are appreciated. As ‘One Human Family’, we have the opportunity to look after people, care for and support each other.”
The campaign is divided into two parts:
- ‘Together We Give’, which involves food distribution in labour camps and mosques that are frequented by the less fortunate.
- ‘Together We Eat’, which involves labourers gathering with the ‘OneHeart Family’ for an outdoor iftar in a lovely setting.
This initiative will run until the beginning of Eid and then the caring charity will launch its ‘Eid Meals with Love for Families in Need’.
“We will be distributing meals to families that require food support,” added Ms Murad. “These families are part of OneHeart Bahrain’s wider database and we wanted to offer support for those going through a difficult phase right now.
“Also, we want to ensure that we prioritise taking care of our planet along with our people throughout our campaign. Hence, we have recycling bins at each of our events where the waste is sorted and picked up by Al Majid Plastic and Metal Recycling Factory the following day.
“We are simply one team supporting the same cause.”
Those who would like to volunteer or donate meals can do so by reaching out to @oneheartbahrain on Instagram.
The unregistered, social initiative group called We Care, is also supporting people in need with food boxes, donations and other activities throughout the month.
“We Care has a range of Ramadan activities and one of them includes distributing 450 fresh hot Iftar meals every single day to labour camps around Bahrain,” said Tanya Thomas, the group’s social media co-ordinator and volunteer. “The community can participate as volunteers or financially donate towards this cause. One meal is BD1, consisting of biryani, dates, fruit, laban and water, and payment can be made directly to the restaurant.
“We have tied up with restaurants that have not been doing well and have outstanding salaries to be paid. With a single donation, people create a triple ripple effect of love, goodwill and kindness.”
Also in demand are dry food donations such as rice, flour, oil, lentils, canned food and toiletries for men to support labourers at camps who have not been paid for months.
“We are also planning to host an Eid gathering at one of the big labour camps consisting of 400 people,” added Ms Thomas. “We will be providing fresh meals and gifts to them and more details will be announced shortly. We require community support to help make their Eid a blessing, filled with love and laughter.”
For details, follow @wecarebh on Instagram.
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