Prepared By: Benoi Nair
Photographer : Sultan Almarzooqi

Dubai, UAE:

As a response to the directives of H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan the President of the UAE, and H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and ruler of Dubai, to immediately form a National Emergency Committee for the relief of flood-affected areas of ‘Kerala’ – India, the employees of Union Coop, the largest Consumer Cooperative in the UAE launched ‘Sons of Zayed Al-Khair Parcels’ initiative as an immediate aid to those affected by flash flood. Union Coop becomes the first private enterprise in the UAE to launch such an initiative to help the flood victims of Kerala.

Speaking about the immediate action of Union Coop, Mr. Suhail Al Bastaki, Director of Happiness and Marketing Department said, “As soon as we learned about the directives of our wise leadership, we at Union Coop formed a group consisting of our employees, headed by Mr. Mohammed Abbas, Manager of Umm Suqeim Smart Branch. The group started preparing packages containing basic food and non-food items for the victims of flash flood in Kerala. All the employees and staffs at Union Coop are more than keen to follow and implement the directives of our great leaders who have instilled in us the true values of our noble religion and the real meaning of volunteer work for those who need our help.”

“The ‘Sons of Zayed Al-Khair Parcels’ were delivered to a shipping company on Saturday morning, to be delivered to the victims as soon as possible. HE Majid Hamad Rahmah Al Shamsi, Chairman of Union Coop and top management headed by H.E. Khalid Humaid Bin Diban Al Falasi, CEO of Union Coop, constantly encourages the employees to participate in volunteer work regularly. The relief packages were specifically designed to reduce the suffering of the flood-affected people in the state of Kerala, as a response to the directives of our great leaders,” adds Al Bastaki

For his part, Mr. Mohammed Abbas, Manager of Umm Suqeim Smart Branch and also the leader of this initiative said, “The concept of charity is deeply embedded in the heart of Emiratis as they have been raised and taught to uplift others in every way possible. Our initiative, which was inspired by the directives of our great leaders will provide relief to the people of Kerala, who happen to play a pivotal role in UAE’s success story.”