The UAE government’s food relief efforts for those who have lost their jobs at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic has continued unabated more than a month after the country started easing restrictions and re-opening the economy.
The UAE Food Bank (UFB), launched in January 2017 by His Highness Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has, according to Emille Parcia, Filipino community volunteer, provided over 100,000 meals for thousands of people, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
The UFB is a humanitarian initiative to which food establishments and charity organizations have partnered with.
“It only shows that the UAE government is ready to help us continuously as much as they can. There are still lots of good companies extending their help to the needy,” said Parcia, who was entrusted by the UAE Food Bank (UFB) to distribute free groceries across the country with help from fellow volunteers.
She said OFWs affected by the pandemic appear to be only halfway through this predicament as most have remained jobless or have had their salaries adjusted like other nationals working in the UAE.
“Actually, parang nasa gitna ng pandemia ang mga Pinoy sa ngayun lalo eh,” said Parcia, whose day job is that of being an office administrative staff.
“Kasi those people na walang work since March ay umaaray na talaga. It is very challenging for them to think of their rents and other expenses yet flight cancellations for their trip home remain,” she said.
Parcia, who hails from Mendez, Cavite and has been working in Dubai since 2006, said they have distributed more than 100,000 meals through UFB.
“We can say that more than 100,000 meals na po an gaming naipamigay and ang beneficiaries ay libu-libo na,” she said.
Food distibutions are done during weekends, Parcia said.
Parcia said they keep track of the distribution by requesting the beneficiaries to provide their full names, contact details, address and status like reason why they need food assistance.
“We also secure other ID details as we need this to report to UAE Food Bank,” she said.
Parcia said she and fellow volunteers have stepped up to the plate and devoted their time because “we are grateful for our lives.”
“Nasa puso po naming iyan. As an OFW, malaking pasasalamat sa Dios dahil iba ang pakiramdam ng may nagtitiwala sa iyo at mag-e-ffort ka sa ating kapwa na makatugon sa kanilang pangangailangan,” Parcia said.
The UAE has started re-opening its economy and Parcia said the uncertainty about when the COVID-19 crisis can completely be resolved remains.
“Some are getting back to work. We might have overcome the harsh days of the global pandemic in the UAE, but we can not ascertain the timeframe for this COVID-19 to be over as we are still receiving positive test reports. But we are thankful for the UAE government for their initiatives in tackling the challenges upfront,” Parcia said.
The Daily Bread 