SPIRIT OF RAMADAN

 GULFWEEKLY, Bahrain’s campaigning community newspaper, has joined up with Mumtalakat, the kingdom’s sovereign wealth fund, to support its Spirit of Ramadan double caring and sharing initiative this holy month.

The aim is to assist The Conserving Bounties Society’s annual call to provide food packages for underprivileged families and labourers … and to provide meals to children in need around the world through the smartphone application, ShareTheMeal, designed to fight global hunger through the UN World Food Programme (WFP). Editor Stan Szecowka said: “We always receive a tremendous response from readers to our community campaigns and I’m positive we can make a real difference once again by supporting the Spirit of Ramadan.”

Mahmood Hashem Alkooheji, Mumtalakat CEO, is delighted that GulfWeekly is on board as the first-ever media partner. “Working towards prosperity for future generations, which is at the heart of our goals and mandate, requires that we are all conscious of our shared responsibility as global citizens. They are two halves of the same coin.”

The initiative was first launched last year to support those in need. At the time, the programme involved volunteer work by employees and their families to help pack Iftar and Suhoor food packages, which were then distributed by The Conserving Bounties Society.

The society provides volunteers with hygiene suits which must be worn while packing the parcels of goodness.

Volunteers commit two hours of their time to help pack Iftar and Suhoor meals for those in need and can take part in as many days as they like.

GulfWeekly’s editorial team will be working alongside the marvellous Mumtalakat volunteers.

The Conserving Bounties Society is a non-profit organisation established in 2014 by young Bahrainis to launch a ‘Food Bank’ in Bahrain. The objective has been to provide high quality meals, combining international standards of health and safety, for underprivileged families and those who live in labour camps and, also, to help eliminate food wastage. More than 300 families and 3,000 labourers are supported by the organisation.

The meal ingredients are sourced from large-gathering Ramadan events and venues and the food is distributed immediately on the same day. In doing so, the society has partnered with several five-star hotels and restaurants in Bahrain, as well as Lulu Hypermarket and Alosra.

Suha Matar, Mumtalakat’s head of communications and public affairs, said: “This year, we are continuing to work with the Society, but have added a further element to our initiative addressing food wastage and hunger. 

“The programme now includes a digital element for all those who would like to support the Spirit of Ramadan goals, but cannot contribute their time or who would like to play an active global role.

“Through the crowd-funding smartphone application, ShareTheMeal, staff members will be encouraged to contribute to Mumtalakat’s online team #Mumtalakat4BH to make small donations to specific WFP projects.

“To that end, we have set ourselves the challenge of sharing 10,000 meals during the month of Ramadan. Having said that, we will continue to promote our team and the app during the year and, hopefully, make more donations!”

ShareTheMeal enables users to make small donations to specific WFP projects and to track its progress. As of November 2017, ShareTheMeal has more than 920,000 downloads and 17 million meals shared. Ongoing projects provide meals for children in Syria, Palestine, India and refugee camps across the world.

As an employer of approximately 14,000 people across 30 companies in Bahrain, and a key contributor to the local economy, Mumtalakat’s community initiatives have been notably successful, particularly a recent one highlighting the many achievements and outstanding contributions local people and businesses have made towards the development of the kingdom. The digital campaign titled ‘Many Stories, One Bahrain’ showcased exceptional individuals who were nominated by their respective companies for their personal or professional contributions, creativity and innovation, academic development, knowledge transfer and mentoring, effective leadership skills and teamwork.

•GulfWeekly readers have a chance to ensure Spirit of Ramadan makes its own mark throughout the holy month and beyond. Follow #Mumtalakat4BH for more details.

•The Conserving Bounties Society initiative is run in a dedicated office space with IT facilities and a storage area with a fully-equipped station that is located in VIVA’s corporate headquarters in Seef. Vans to distribute the food have been donated by local companies. The society calls on the community – including corporates, hotels, restaurants, supermarkets and individuals – to contribute to the cause. Those willing to co-operate can contact the society on 33499499.

•Download the ShareTheMeal app from AppStore or GooglePlay and join #Mumtalakat4BH team.