Spirit of giving at mall

SHOPPERS enjoying the delights of a miniature cultural village and other attractions at Bahrain City Centre are making time to ‘Make a Difference this Ramadan’.

Bags of donations are being dropped off at special collection boxes placed in the mall’s central galleria behind the customer service desk.

GulfWeekly is backing the centre’s annual initiative which encourages customers to donate everyday items such as clothing, books, eyeglasses and perishable items for distribution to the needy by the Al Noor Charity Welfare Society.

Duaij Khalifa Al Rumaihi, senior mall manager for BCC, said: “With the holy month of Ramadan underway, Bahrain City Centre is pleased with the response to our annual charity event: ‘Make a Difference this Ramadan’.

“Residents have already begun donating new or gently-used items and we’re optimistic that this campaign will be the biggest yet.”

Mother-of-three, Laila Al Arisi, made a quick stop to drop off a bag of clothes. The businesswoman, from Amwaj, said: “This is an excellent campaign, especially as this is the time for giving and donating to charity.

“More often than not, we end up buying things that we will never use or still have items from the past that just sit in our closets. Why not give it to someone who would benefit from it?

“My daughter is studying at university and has so many clothes that she doesn’t use so I am giving them to a good cause.”

Naseem Fekri, 25, public relations executive at Memac Ogilvy and Mather, from Zinj, donated a large stack of books. She said: “I think this campaign is amazing. My family and I have tons of books at home that have been read and re-read. I carried as much as I could now and will be bringing more throughout the month which will hopefully encourage more reading as well.”

Her colleague Pooja Rekhi Sharma, 34, a senior account manager, from Mahooz, also joined in the spirit of giving by donating a bag of clothing. She said: “Many of us are quite privileged and buy things that we want to but there are many in Bahrain that are not as fortunate and struggle day-to-day.

“This campaign spreads a great message to the people of Bahrain that we should care for the less fortunate and it’s a fantastic way to get families, young and old, into the spirit of giving.”

Amongst the big draws at the mall was the Lewan Ramadan Bahrain City Centre stand. The Ministry of Social Development and Bahrain City Centre have opened a miniature cultural village to host various family-oriented activities that will connect everyone to the essence of Ramadan.

The village, sponsored by VIVA Bahrain’s corporate social responsibility arm, Jusoor, will feature reading sessions and documentaries on educational and historical Islamic literature, live puppet shows and traditional games such as carom and cards every day from 9.30pm to midnight throughout the holy month.

After the launch, VIVA’s corporate social responsibility executive, Abeer Abdullatif Abdulla, 30, from Manama, made her way to the donation box to add her belongings to the plethora of bags already available.

She said: “I love seeing companies doing something for the community and bringing people together.

“Ramadan is the month of ‘karam’ which means giving, but people shouldn’t only concentrate on giving during the holy month. Hopefully they will keep up with their own charitable initiatives throughout the year.”

Karla Solano, 30, VIVA Bahrain’s public relations officer, from Seef, also took part in the campaign. She said: “To see the community getting together for a good cause is fantastic. It’s a positive message that Bahrain City Centre is spreading and there are a lot of Ramadan activities happening in the mall such as the village. The VIVA team is taking part in sharing the spirit of the month.”

Goods donated will be sorted for distribution by members of the Al Noor Charity Welfare Society, the renowned charity champions who have been supporting those in need throughout the kingdom for more than 15 years.

The society was founded by its president Shaikha Lamia bint Mohammed Al Khalifa to provide funding for educational and medical purposes to those in need alongside other initiatives.