As Ramadan draws to a close, the spirit of giving is being kept alive at BurJuman, where a charity initiative has been launched, aimed at collecting much-needed relief goods for the victims of last month’s devastating earthquake, which left widespread destruction, massive loss of life, family and societal disruption in isolated regions of Southeast Asia.
BurJuman began this collection drive on Friday, 28 October and the mall is hoping to gather as much relief as possible over a 20-day period, keeping in mind that winter is just around the corner.
Collection tents have been set up in the central parking lobby at BurJuman and Reef Mall in Deira, and residents are being encouraged to donate blankets, tents, sleeping bags and heaters. These goods will then be sent to local consulates from where they will be transported to the affected areas.
“Every news report out there suggests that the financial contributions and material goods that have been sent to the affected areas so far are just not enough. With winter just around the corner, time is slowly running out for the victims and it has become a countdown for survival,” said Sabina Khandwani, head of research and marketing, BurJuman.
“It is, therefore, imperative that, as a community, we move quickly and collect and send as many supplies as we can, in the next two weeks. This is why our drive is focused on collecting goods needed by the victims to brave the cold, harsh winter anticipated. It is an arduous task but we are confident that the affluent clientele that BurJuman attracts will rally round and fully support this cause,” she added.
Barry Kirsch Productions (BKP), the Middle Eastern music production industry leader, was commissioned by the mall to produce an anthem of hope called ‘Just Reach Out’, with lyrics designed to encourage residents to get involved in this good cause. The anthem is being played on a regular basis on a number of the UAE’s leading radio stations.
This is the first time in the history of the UAE that an original English song has been composed locally for a charitable initiative.
United Parcel Service (UAE) L.L.C. (UPS), the world’s largest package delivery company, will play an integral role in expediting regional relief efforts for the thousands of victims, providing several of its transport assets to support operations to move relief supplies from BurJuman to the consulates, and staging locations for Relief agencies based within the UAE.
“Moving mission-critical supplies on short notice to anywhere in the world is what UPS does best. The opportunity to deliver emergency relief to the people of South Asia in their time of need is therefore, a unique and moving opportunity for us,” said John Tansey, General Manager of United Parcel Service (UAE) LLC.
BurJuman also announced that the mall would be contributing a significant amount of money to aid relief efforts in those areas devastated by the earthquake.
Other key partners in this endeavor include Team Young and Rubicam and Harlequin
