Hundreds of people, including children as young as four, gathered at the Sharjah expo centre to assemble aid kits for the Lebanese people as part of the national 'UAE stands with Lebanon' relief campaign. The young participants created postcards and had Lebanese and UAE flags painted on their faces, while their parents packed essential items such as cooking oil, blankets, food supplies, hygiene kits, and socks. Numerous volunteers patiently waited outside the hall for their turn to contribute to the packing effort.
The event, organized by The Big Heart Foundation (TBHF) in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aims to deliver urgent humanitarian assistance to the people of Lebanon. It commenced at 8am on Saturday and will run until 3pm. Lebanese sisters Rawan and Maram Al Najjar have been actively volunteering in various campaigns across the UAE for over three years. 'When we volunteered to pack for Gaza last year, there was no hesitation in our minds about returning to assemble care packages for our homeland,' Maram shared. 'Currently, our families are safe, but there is always a lingering fear in our hearts.'
Maram's six-year-old son, Abdul-rahman, assisted by carrying boxes nearly as large as himself to the volunteers who were organized in groups of fifty or more at several tables inside the Expo centre halls. Rawan, a graphic design student at Ajman University, mentioned that the family arrived at the venue at 7am. 'We were asked to arrive early to help set up the stations before the volunteers arrived,' she explained. 'Having participated in numerous packing events over the past few years, we have a good understanding of how it all works.'
Last week, more than 4000 volunteers participated in a similar event held at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City.
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