For the Dubai community, the holy month is an opportunity to honour the emirate's workers - and so this Ramadan, 330,000 Iftar meals will be prepared for them under the Yestahaloon initiative of the Community Development Authority (CDA).
Nineteen civil organisations are working with the CDA to handle and distribute the special meals across a number of mosques and labour accommodations in Deira, Al Quoz and Jebel Ali.
Dr Omar Al Muthanna, CEO of the social regulatory and licensing sector at the CDA, said: "Yestahaloon is not just about being able to hand out free Iftar meals, it is more about the surrounding atmosphere that Ramadan creates, which offers these workers a key sense of compassion, love and tolerance."
Over the years, the Yestahaloon initiative has been successful in making Dubai workers happier, and the CDA is expecting that this year's run of the programme would be no different, with the support and participation of a large number of volunteers.
"The initiative also includes different activities throughout the holy month of Ramadan, with the chief aim of being able to reach out to the workers in Dubai. There has been an increase in the participation of private and non-profit organisations this year, reflecting the civil organisations' role in strengthening community cohesion," Al Muthanna said.
Yestahaloon activities will be held in a number of places, including mosques and accommodations.
"We are looking forward to increasing the private sector's contribution to various community-focused initiatives - not just for the holy month but throughout the year," he added.
