Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
The Rotary Club Manama rallied together with the Migrant Workers Protection Society to give a group of struggling labourers in the kingdom a much-needed boost.
May Day, also known as the International Worker’s Day or Labour Day, is marked across the globe in many places as a public holiday.
In the run up to Monday’s event, members from the RCM, as well as Rotarians from the sister Salmaniya and Adliya clubs, stepped out last weekend to hand out parcels containing food, drinks and cake to more than 600 labourers staying at a camp in Eker.
Bob Thaker, the incoming president of the RCM, said: “We know that these people are going through a difficult time and we wanted to do something positive. We had people from the different clubs handing out provisions and useful gifts.
“That is what Rotary does. As well as raising funds for good causes we like to become actively involved in the community, rather than just give out cheques. Our aim is to make a difference and this activity epitomises that.”
The RCM was founded in 1965 under the motto of ‘Service above Self’ and it has been involved in numerous charitable endeavours.
For some it has become a family affair. Incoming board member, Arjette Verboom, drove from Saudi Arabia with her husband, Sander ,who works for Phillips and her daughters Sophie, three, and Annabelle, one-and-a-half, to offer support.
Arjette, who works with the University of Oxford from her home, said: “I’m honoured to be a member and I wanted my daughters to learn about helping others.”
According to Marietta Dias, chairman for the Migrant Workers Protection Society, some of the labourers have had the work contracts terminated and some were still awaiting financial settlement for more than four months, a situation echoed elsewhere in the kingdom.
She said: “This is only one camp. We know of more than 2,500 people who have not been fully paid. We welcome joining together with different organisations in supporting these labourers and to make people more aware of their plight.”
Camp supervisor Ganga Banbatha thanked the volunteers for taking time out of their weekend to assist them.
