Dubai: More than 50 underprivileged children were granted the chance to choose their own Eid clothing as part of the ‘Eid for Joy’ event organised at Ibn Battuta Mall in Dubai on Monday.
The daily event is being organised by the Rawafed Centre, a learning centre for deserving children, in collaboration with the Dubai branch of Emirates Red Crescent, the RedTag department store and the mall.
A group of children are invited to the department store during Ramadan, and each child is assigned a volunteer who helps him/her pick their Eid finery.
Rawafed Centre director Shadia Abdullah said instead of donating used clothing, they wanted the children to choose the clothing themselves. This is also a great opportunity for volunteers to “see where their money is going” in a more “innovative and interactive way”.
Mohammad Al Zarouni, director of the Red Crescent’s Dubai branch, said, “Through this initiative, joy is spread between the sponsors and the children.”
One volunteer, Rima Karam, joined a group of eager mothers who signed up for the event with their own sons and daughters to encourage them to help out those who are less fortunate. She said the initiative was a “phenomenal” and “joyful” way for people to do what they can to support others.
Karam and her daughter Tiana Patel, 8, hope to participate again next year, and are actively looking for other ways in which they can help underprivileged families all year round.
RedTag’s country head representative, Lee West, said, “RedTag is proud to support the Red Crescent again for the second year running over the Ramadan charity event. It’s very humbling to see all the disadvantaged children enjoying themselves within the store and choosing items from our collection.”
After picking their Eid clothing, the children were invited by Ibn Battuta Mall to Chuck E. Cheese’s for a delicious iftar and an evening of fun activities on Monday.
A spokesperson for Ibn Battuta Mall said: “This is the third consecutive year of the children’s visits, following the success of the past two years of Ramadan celebrations with orphaned children, which reiterates the mall’s commitment to give back to the UAE community it serves.”
Last year, around 2,000 children were sponsored through this initiative. The centre aims to sponsor 3,000 underprivileged children this month.
Schools, companies and individuals can sponsor children by reaching out to the Red Crescent or the Rawafed Centre.
— The writer is an intern at Gulf News
