Ramadan in UAE: How free Iftar meals are helping labourers save money during holy month

“I was [very] worried about my iftar and suhoor,” said Adam Baba, a Ugandan expat observing Ramadan for the first time in the UAE. Baba did not know about how preparations worked, and often asked his colleagues about the food. “All they said was we will get it,” he said.

On the first fast of the month, Baba picked up food for himself from a nearby restaurant for suhoor. “I paid Dh15 for the meal. But as I returned from my workplace [at] around 4.30 pm, I witnessed a massive queue as iftar was being distributed. All my worries were washed away,” said Baba.

If it were not for the Good Samaritans who give away Iftar and Suhoor meals, Baba said “[he] would have to shell out over Dh30 a day, amounting to nearly Dh1,000 a month. And this amount I can easily save, send to family back home, or use for another purpose.”

Truckloads of packed meals, water, fruits, laban, and dates make their way across the country to treat residents for iftar, where families, social welfare organisations, companies, and many individuals provide food, with the number extending beyond hundreds of thousands.

From the Deira market, Sharjah, and camps in Al Quoz, to Jebel Ali and camps in DIP, Khaleej Times has visited several places to see how preparations for feeding are carried out.

They start a day earlier, from the sourcing of raw materials, which are then taken to kitchens, and the cooked food is packed and given away to beneficiaries.

Another beneficiary, David DK from Nigeria, who is fasting in solidarity with his colleagues and friends, said that he spends far less money in Ramadan as compared to the rest of the year. “I fast along with my friends. The meal provided here is filling and can be saved for breakfast. This holy month is a blessing, where we spend minimal as compared to other months.”

• How this Dubai family distributes half a million Iftar meals this Ramadan