Watch: Thousands of UAE residents turn up at Expo City Dubai to pack aid boxes for Lebanon

Thousands of UAE residents turned up at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in Expo City early on Saturday morning to pack aid kits for those affected by the crisis in Lebanon. Some left homes as early as 6am to make it to the event which began at 9. Many brought items to contribute, which were collected at the location while others chose to make monetary contributions to registered charities at the event.

According to officials, an unexpectedly high number of volunteers turned up to support the initiative.

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“The capacity of the hall is 1,000 people and that’s how many people we were expecting,” said Dr Tariq Al Gurg, CEO and Vice Chairman of Dubai Cares. “But we have already had 2,500 volunteers, and we are expecting it to rise to 3,500 or 4,500 by the end of the session. We had to really rapidly change the strategy to ensure as many people could have the experience. The packing sessions were shortened to about 40 minutes.”

He said the 10,000 boxes that the volunteers packed were just part of the aid being provided to Lebanon. “We will give them tents, drinking water, food supplies and hygiene kits. Also, we will get them proper instructors to get them psychosocial support.”

Indian expat Nashwa Rafeeque turned up at the event with her husband and 5-month-old son Zayed. “We have gone for previous packing events for Gaza and Pakistan,” she said. “It is something that is very close to our heart and we are happy that we are able to contribute in whatever we can. It is also an important lesson to teach our son.”

The couple were joined by Nashwa’s colleagues Lebanese expat Alain Francis, Georgian national Givi Mkhitaryan and Indonesian expat Tara Sari.

Bangladeshi expats Bulbuli, Sagor, Anni and Shapla came with a group of eight family members including 5-year-old Zainab. The group left their homes in Deira at 6am to pick up the group of volunteers and make their way to Expo City. “We wanted to do our bit to help Lebanon as we know that they are suffering,” said Sagor. “This is the only way we could help and we wanted to do it.”

Watch the video of thousands of volunteers coming together to pack aid, below:

The group, who registered on site said they waited for over an hour before they were permitted into the packing halls. “We spent about 45 minutes packing various items into the box,” he said. “There were a wide variety of items and it covered almost all the basic necessities.”

Helping their home

For many Lebanese expats, it was a way of helping their home and loved ones.

Sarah, who has been living in the UAE for over 15 years, came to the event with her children and a group of friends. “We are so proud that the UAE is doing this,” she said. “This is the only way we can help our people back home.”

Sarah said her husband’s family, who live in the south of Lebanon, left their homes in October last year. “His village is situated on the border and has now been completely destroyed,” she said. “That is why it was important for me to bring my children for this event and contribute in whatever way we could.”

Her 8-year-old son Hamza said he had packed several towels into the boxes. “I hope it is useful to the people who get it,” he said. “I know that a lot of people are suffering.”

The family, who go back to Lebanon every year, said they were able to spend only a very short time in the country this year. “We went for the summer but the situation was very volatile so we only stayed for 10 days,” said Sarah. “We are worried because we don't know how long this will last. But this is not new to us. We are used to this situation and we know we will overcome it.”

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