UAE: Maid who worked for Emirati family for 25 years wins Dh100,000

Norhana Mohammad Omar is barely five feet in height, but the 63-year-old stood proud and tall as her name was announced for first place at the second Emirates Labour Market Award on Thursday, November 14. Before Omar, her kababayan (compatriot), Nestor Montalbo Handog, was called to the stage to receive the first-place award in a different category.

The two Filipino workers are among the winners at the awards organised annually by the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (Mohre) aimed at “recognising outstanding practices in the work environment, as well as protecting and advancing the wellbeing and quality of life of the workforce in the private sector.” The Emirates Labour Market Award is also geared towards enhancing the UAE labour market competitiveness and improving productivity and efficiency.

Omar was recognised in the ‘Outstanding workforce category for domestic workers’, while Handog was selected for electricity, mechanics, and machinery and equipment operation. After winning first place in their respective categories, both Omar and Handog received Dh100,000 each.

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But for Omar, the monetary prize was just the icing on the cake. The real reward, she told Khaleej Times, was working for the same Emirati family that had not only employed her but also treated her as one of their own for the past 25 years.

Second mother

Omar decided not to get married and have her own family but said, “I’m the second mother to the seven children I helped raise for more than two decades. And also now a grandmother to seven young kids.”

Omar is originally from Cotabato, a predominantly Muslim province in Mindanao, in southern Philippines. She speaks only in her vernacular language and Arabic.

Born in March 1961, she first came to the UAE in 1999. “Before coming here, I worked as a nanny in Kuwait, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia,” she said, adding that she started working in different households when she was barely 18.

“Being the eldest, I was the breadwinner in our family and I’ve known hard work since I was young,” she added. But the toil of manual labour has not taken its toll on her diminutive body. She has remained healthy and sprightly, both physically and mentally. “It is because I have always maintained a positive outlook in life, I eat healthy, and my employers are also taking care of me,” she said.

Omar has not been to the Philippines since 1999 but said she wants to go home for a vacation soon. She also did not think about what she would do with the prize money, but she had no plans to retire from work. “I think I will stay with the family until I can. I don’t want to miss my ‘children and grandchildren,” she said.

Hardworking mechanic

Handog, 49, for his part, described himself as a hardworking mechanic, a loving husband and a doting father.

Armed with a diploma in automotive technology, he arrived in Dubai in October 2006 and has worked for the same company (Wade Adams Contracting LLC) for 18 years. “I think it’s my loyalty and dedication to work that made me win the award,” he told Khaleej Times.

Before coming to Dubai, Handog first worked for Francisco Motors, a prominent manufacturer of the iconic Filipino jeepney, which is a colourful public utility vehicle that serves as the backbone of public transportation in the Philippines.

When he first came to the UAE, he said he had a culture shock—working in a foreign country and experiencing a new culture and work environment. “But I was able to adjust immediately, and I’ve loved working with workers from different nationalities. I’ve even learned to speak Hindi and a little Arabic, he said.

At his current job, Handog, who receives Dh5,000 monthly plus overtime pay, is a mechanic for light equipment used in construction like skid loaders, pumps, generators, and other small construction machinery.

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