As the country enters the last 10 days of the holy month of Ramadan, more and more Filipinos have come to the realization that the period is not just a time for fasting – it also presents an opportunity to do good for the benefit of others through genuine and heartfelt acts of charity for those in need.
With the Filipino population numbering almost a million in the UAE comprising the third largest considering the country’s entire population, their small but consistent acts of generosity – whether that’s in kind or through their time and service, has been felt in ripples across the nation.
The Filipino Times highlights a few of these initiatives and acts that bring out the best traits of Filipinos towards their Muslim brothers and sisters.
Ramadan grocery boxes
During the first week of Ramadan, Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes and his spouse, Dr. Yasmin Balajadia-Cortes personally packed several boxes for du’s grocery box initiative together with du Executive Vice President Abdul Wahed Juma. “The boxes that we filled in would have lasted for the entire Ramadan period for each beneficiary. I’d estimate around tens of thousands of families that benefitted from those boxes that we were happy to have volunteered to help fill out for our Muslim brothers and sisters,” shares Dr. Yasmin.
Ramadan sharing fridges
Running for almost three years now is the Ramadan sharing fridges around Dubai operating under the umbrella of the Emirates Red Crescent, is an initiative that helps the less fortunate residents of Dubai who fasts during the season. Time and again, anonymous Filipino donors flock towards these Ramadan fridges to help ease the financial burden from struggling Muslims of having to pay for their food. “I stumbled upon a Facebook group last year – Ramadan Sharing Fridge and I thought, why not join something I can join, giving back to the country that has given me so much? Wala akong masyadong ibibigay pero handa akong magbigay para sa ikabubuti ng kapwa kong tao,” shares one of the Filipino donors.
Fridge art initiative
An artistic accompaniment to the annual Ramadan sharing fridge initiative – two Filipinos, Cholo and Rosan Juan leads the Fridge Art initiative that transforms what were previously regular fridges into stunning works of art. Now on its second year, the initiative has grown from 29 to 40 artists in total who share their artistic talent to create unique masterpieces. “Before flying to the UAE my mother told me to not just keep taking from the country but to give back to it too. We found out about Ramadan Sharing Fridges and we wanted to participate in it giving food and drinks to those in need. As artists, we wanted to contribute further and decided to approach the head organizers of RSF to lend our hands and creative mindsets to add art in the fridges.
“We are blessed to live in a melting pot that is the UAE and the spirit of Ramadan is one that we can all learn from regardless of our faith – that is to see the good and be good as much as we can. To go beyond being Filipinos and just be good humans. To share when we can,” shares Rosan.
Blood Donors
In Abu Dhabi, several Filipino community groups will be organizing a blood donation drive to take place at the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank (ADBB) at Khalidiyah from 5:00 pm onwards on May 30. Themed ‘Together We Aspire, Together We Achieve’, the initiative aims to invite Filipinos and expats of other nationalities to donate their blood to help aid someone in the near future. Statistics from ADBB, which is operated by Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, have shown that units collected rose to 34,067 from 28,621 donors in 2018, as compared to 32,009 units in 2017. Part of the total of which, was contributed by the Filipinos who participated in several blood donation drives all year round.
