Dubai - A small scale initiative by a Dubai resident has morphed into something much bigger all thanks to the power of social media and Facebook.
Published: Sun 12 Jun 2016, 3:26 PM
Last updated: Sun 12 Jun 2016, 10:07 PM
The spirit of giving is high this Ramadan. Residents are setting up fridges around neighborhoods in Dubai and filling them up with food and water for labourers. A small scale initiative by a Dubai resident has morphed into something much bigger all thanks to the power of social media and Facebook.
The Ramadan Sharing Fridges initiative was revamped last week by Australian native, Sumayyah Sayed, a 29-year-old mother of two, which has now spread, to more than 20 sharing fridges set up across Dubai.
Nadia Sarie, a 42-year-old Morrocan-Belgian told Khaleej Times that they never expected the concept to take off so fast.
"It's exploded and we couldn't be happier. We get more and more messages from people asking for advice on how to set up their own fridge," she noted. "We give people advice if somebody wants to help. The process is simple. We recommend volunteers to purchace a second-hand fridge on Dubdizzle or onlines and then we promote it among the workers by distributing leaflets with a map."
"It's the responsibility of the fridge manager to keep it well stocked. We recommend volunteers stock their fridges up with lots of fruits and juices along with water and laban," she added. "This is a community inspired campaign and it really shows the spirit of giving the residents in the UAE have."
It's easier to set up the community fridges in places where residents have villas. But in Motor city, uptown and Mirdif where there are mainly apartments, residents have gotten together and obtained permissions from their buildings to run their fridges.
"If people don't get permission from their authorities we ask people to contact their local mosques and place their fridge there. The local imams are very helpful and are more than ready to be a part of this initiative," adds Nadia.
The count so far is 20 fridges in Dubai, with two coming up in Abu Dhabi. One fridge was started in Sharjah on Sunday, and organizers say there are still significant number of people trying to set their fridges.
Both founders and participants have no idea where this could lead, but one things for sure - this Ramadan is all about giving.
sarakshi@khaleejtimes.com
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