How a Facebook post changed an Egyptian man's life overnight in UAE

When American Emirati author Dedra L Stevenson used her skills to pour out words about meeting a jobless man she found at Sharjah Corniche, she had definitely hoped someone might come forward to help. But, she didn't expect it to happen within hours of putting up the post on social media. Following her post describing the plight of the man, he got a job in a majlis at Umm Al Quwain palace.
Dedra and her kids were frequent customers of Starbucks at Sharjah Corniche and for the past few weeks they had spotted a man sitting there. Her instinct said he needed help but she didn't want him to feel she was interfering. "Finally, I gathered up courage to ask him if everything was okay. He didn't say much in the beginning but said everything was fine. To my question on where he stayed, he looked away with watery eyes. I knew I had to do my bit to help.
"He didn't speak much English and a passerby helped me understand what he was going through. He was on visit visa and had lost hope of finding a job," Dedra told Khaleej Times.
"I tried to give him some money but he refused it. He wanted to earn with dignity and was desperate to take up any job available."
Back home, she wrote an emotional post about the meeting. She shared it in a few mothers' groups on Facebook. "Within minutes, help started pouring in."
Dedra's plea for help for the man reached Umm Al Quwain royals and he finally got the position of a server in a majlis.
"I became a bridge for the action of the Almighty. He was 29 and I have a son of his age," said Dedra.
How the story unfolded
Heba Korayem, a media professional working in Dubai, saw Dedra's post late on Saturday and called up her best friend Meera Butti Omeir, wife of Umm Al Quwain Deputy Ruler Sheikh Abdulla bin Rashid Al Mualla, to check out if there was a possibility to help. "She was not sure if there was an opportunity at the palace and her husband was not in the country," said Korayem.
Meera Butti Omeir called up her husband and checked out if there was any possibility to help.
"He told me that we had to first verify all the information about the man. We had our staff check on him and everything was right."
She added: "I got word around if there was any position to be filled and finally found a role at the palace majlis. He was overwhelmed to take it up."
"We showed him his room and the kitchen. He was humbled at how things turned up. I told my toddlers about him and they looked around the house for ways to cheer him up. One of them picked up a shampoo, another a banana and the third wanted to give him bedsheet among other stuff," she added.
"By the grace of Allah, all is well. The paper works have begun and in a few days, everything will be in order. I am glad I could do my bit to help," concluded Meera.
sameeha@khaleejtimes.com