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Look: Over 1,000 UAE healthcare workers from 30 nationalities make giant Onam floral carpet in 15 hours

The 250sqm floral carpet was made to showcase the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals

Published: Sun 27 Aug 2023, 9:19 AM

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More than 1,000 UAE healthcare workers from Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, and northern emirates united over 15 hours to create a giant floral carpet with 750kgs of flowers celebrating Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala.

Apart from the festivities held by Abu Dhabi-based Burjeel Holdings, the main objective was to honour the UAE’s Year of Sustainability and the COP28 Climate Change Conference by creating a 250sqm floral carpet showcasing the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Inspired by the COP28’s call for collective action, hundreds of frontline staff from the group’s brands Burjeel, Medeor, LLH, and Lifecare poured into its flagship Burjeel Medical City in phases by 2 pm on Friday. In a 15-hour-long united effort, medical professionals from 30 different nationalities, cultures, creeds, and religions got together to make a unique creation, which grew more beautiful with time. Healthcare staff from countries like India, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Egypt, Jordan, the UK, Russia, and more were thrilled to be part of the celebrations.

Mariem Trad Shams, a Tunisian staff in the human resources department, noted: “This is a significant year for humanity. The UAE will be hosting COP to make a better and sustainable future for everyone. 2023 is the Year of Sustainability in the UAE. We spent more than half a day making this floral carpet to bring the world’s attention to the pressing global challenges.”

Shuq Almemari, an Emirati who works in the administration department, said: “This is my first time being a part of Onam celebrations. I was happy to help arrange the beautiful floral carpet and was fascinated by the required artistic skills. I also enjoyed learning more about Indian culture by watching the performances put up by my colleagues.”

Joyce Anne Venzon, a Filipina nurse from the endoscopy department, said: “This is a fun-filled festive occasion, which has brought all of us together. I hope this initiative creates further awareness of the urgent need for all of us to focus on environmental issues. Overall, it was a colourful and enriching event to learn more about Kerala’s festivals, traditions, and Indian culture.”

Dr Baby Thampuru Vamadevan, a specialist anaesthesiology, added: “Later this year, the country will host the much-anticipated COP28 in Dubai. It will be a ‘COP for Action, a COP for All’, as the leaders have termed the highly anticipated UN event. We feel proud to play our small part in this journey towards spreading the word on sustainability by making this giant floral carpet on UN SDGs. We feel everyone should act responsibly to protect the planet.”

The 100-day countdown to COP28 UAE is underway, with the climate conference set to bring the world together at Expo City Dubai from November 30 to December 12.

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