Culture & Education | Wednesday 27 November, 2019 2:35 am |

Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) continues its year-long humanitarian community initiative that aims to tribute labourers by installing water fridges to provide refreshments for workers at Dubai Industrial City throughout the year.

‘Summer Heroes’ was launched in August, 2019 in an effort to express appreciation for the workers who provide general services such as cleaning and security at Dubai Culture head office, its facilities, and within Dubai Design District. As part of the Authority’s wider aim to support the Year of Tolerance, the campaign began with personalised thank you messages for the workers written by Dubai Culture staff members. In order to continue this work that propagates peace, co-existence and respect among all members of society, the initiative continues this November with the unveiling of fridges in Dubai Industrial City. Dubai Culture has commissioned artworks to adorn the fridges, which will provide cold drinking water to the blue-collar workers all year long. The Authority is working with partners Beko who donated fridges from their latest product line, Happy Life Distribution, Talabat and Art for Good for the project, which establishes a positive dialogue between the workers and the community and also builds upon social cohesion.

Hala Badri, Director General of Dubai Culture praised the ongoing dedication of labourers in the city of Dubai and added that the ongoing ‘Summer Heroes’ initiative aligns with the Year of Tolerance within a framework of Dubai Culture’s efforts in consolidating the values of tolerance, humanity, and communication.

Badri said: “This initiative is a gesture of appreciation for the workers and an acknowledgement of their important role in society. It supports the UAE’s humanitarian efforts and the ongoing Year Of Tolerance as well as promoting an environment of mutual appreciation for all members of our community.”

Badri also pointed out that the initiative celebrates the workers who contribute to making life in the UAE society easier, better and more beautiful, stressing that the role of the Authority is to highlight the values ​​of a civilised community. “This gesture calls for positive coexistence between different cultures andreflects the Emirati tolerance model as well as emphasising the respect and gratitude that Dubai Culture employees have for workers, their positive contributions and the quality of their work.”

Saud Abu Al-Shawareb, Managing Director of Dubai Industrial City, said: “The UAE represents a unique model of cultural coexistence and tolerance with more than 200 nationalities working and contributing to the economic development process. In line with our commitment to fostering a vibrant and inclusive community, we are pleased to partner with Dubai Culture in this initiative aimed at honoring an important segment of our workforce in recognition of their contribution, specifically the melting pot of 42,000 workers from different nationalities who live at Dubai Industrial City’s accommodations, where they are provided with many facilities and amenities that play an important role in offering them quality living.”

Oral Bozkurt, General Manager at Beko Gulf FZE said, “Beko Gulf is delighted to join forces with Dubai Culture & Arts Authority (Dubai Culture) to recognize and honor the services sector, through the “Summer Heroes” humanitarian community initiative. In line with the ‘Year of Tolerance’, this collaboration is a part of Beko’s ongoing efforts to give back to the community. We donated our most recently launched Beko fridges as a token of appreciation, to recognize these unsung heroes for their valuable contribution and active role in serving the society. We cross paths with them every day, at every corner and through this special initiative we hope to help improve the working conditions for them to express our appreciation and gratitude for their services.”

Osama El Eraki CEO of Happy Life Distribution said: “We are extremely proud to be a part of this noble initiative by Dubai Culture. Through this initiative, Happy Life products will reach out to the blue collar community as an opportunity to uphold the spirit of giving. It important for us to show gratitude to the people who are working tirelessly to make our lives better. We are looking forward to a long term partnership with Dubai Culture and extend our continuous support to such moral initiatives in future as well”.

Muhammed Yildirim, Talabat UAE Managing Director said: "We are honored to be part of this initiative, partnering with Dubai Culture, Happy Life Distribution and Tecom to provide some much-needed relief to the heroes of our city. A cold bottle of water is a simple gesture, but we hope that it conveys a small piece of our appreciation for their hard work everyday. At Talabat we believe it is our duty to give back to the community in which we operate in. We will be extending this spirit in future projects."   

Rabab Tantawy, Artist, Art for Good said: WE celebrates with gratitude and happiness the Summer Heroes who make Dubai a beautiful global city. Artists connect today to paint labor community fridges, capturing through art the stories that illustrate humanity and bring inspiration to the Summer Heroes’ lives.