Dubai: A Dubai mum has unintentionally started a trend among other expat families, after asking parents to bring care packages for workers instead of presents to her twins’ birthday party.
Australian Katherine Kane, a Dubai resident of 10 years, decided to leave a note to parents on the birthday invitation card, after making the decision with her husband and five-year-old twins, Thomas and Evelyn, to swap gifts for care packages this year, and help the less fortunate.
Inviting around 46 children to the birthday, Kane was happy to host a party but concerned about her children receiving a mountain of toys just a short time after Christmas.
“There is so much consumerism in the world today and children really do not need to have so many toys. I think many other parents would be pleased to have less clutter in their children’s playroom and the opportunity to talk to their children about the concept of giving to those less fortunate. It is a win-win,” Kane told Gulf News.
She pointed out that the participation of her children’s school in The Box Appeal initiative earlier this year inspired her to come up with a similar way to give back to the community.
Regularly reminding their children to be grateful for what they have, Kane and her husband had also explained to their twins the hardships others who are less fortunate have to go through on a daily basis.
“They understand that there are many children and families who don’t have enough food to eat, clean water to drink, a bed to sleep in, let alone safe places to play and plenty of toys. So when we told them that because they already had so much, their friends would be giving their ‘gifts’ to people who need it more; they accepted this pretty easily,” said Kane.
She described the gesture as a “small act of kindness” and one of numerous ways families and individuals can contribute to charitable causes in their communities.
Shortly after the party, Kane and her family visited the construction area by her children’s school, and distributed the care packages, which included basic necessities such as shampoos, soaps, and razors, to workers on the site.
“The day we handed them over was such a wonderful experience for our children. To see how happy the men were to receive their parcels made the children so proud of themselves,” explained Kane.
She pointed out the care packages not only improved the workers’ daily comfort, but gave them the opportunity to send more of their salaries home to their families.
Since the children’s birthday party, Kane’s family has attended another party who asked for tins of baby formula to be sent to Syrian refugees instead of gifts.
“It would be amazing if others decided to do something similar. You are helping to shape the future generation to be less materialistic and more compassionate, while at the same time giving assistance to those people who really need it,” said Kane.
Other mothers in Dubai communities have also picked up the trend, sharing their experiences on social media in the hope of influencing more people to do the same.
With the UAE’s theme for 2017 being ‘the Year of Giving’, the spirit of volunteerism is one of the government’s major focuses across the country this year. Residents are encouraged to take part in voluntary programmes and give back to the society, even if it’s through small gestures.
