The [sameness] project stretches its We’ve Got Your Back initiative to offer a helping hand to labourers

The social pioneers at Dubai’s the [sameness] project have been trying to lighten the load on workers through their We’ve Got Your Back initiative.

For the past year and a half, the group has been handing out booklets to taxi drivers containing suggestions for stretches that can be done to relieve back pain. Starting on Wednesday, February 11,, the [sameness] project team will deliver the same dose of empathy and advice to labourers.

The group plans to distribute printed booklets containing six simple stretches created by Grant Goes, a fitness professional and the founder of FitnessLink. The [sameness] project co-founder Jonny Kennaugh says: “We thought about the kinds of activity these guys do day in and day out and what would help their bodies wind down after a day on site. So one is a forearm stretch, because, whether they’re hammering or picking up heavy items, they’re using their arms a lot.

“We took photos for the booklet of Grant demonstrating the stretches, so even if they can’t understand English the guys will be able to understand.”

Each day, the [sameness] project workers will take two fitness trainers and translators with them to two Majid Al Futtaim building sites in Sharjah and Dubai. They will carry out group training sessions with the labourers, run through stretches and give out care packs containing deep-heat rub to relieve aching muscles.

“We found with the taxi drivers, they had a lot of really simple questions that they don’t have access to anyone to ask”, says Kennaugh.

He’s hoping the latest project will have the same impact as it did last year on taxi drivers such as the Bangladeshi Moshuir Rahman.

“I do the stretches in the morning and now I feel better than before. I feel it’s very helpful for a taxi driver. It can give us a more comfortable life and we can feel better forever. Thanks,” says Rahman.

The idea to focus on labourers was born last summer when the [sameness] project partnered with the Majid Al Futtaim group to bring together the company’s office workers with those building their residences. The office staff went to one of Majid Al Futtaim’s Deira City Centre building sites and gave the workers tea, care packages and post cards with “thank you” written in six different languages, on which the staff had added personal messages.

Jamal Shawish, 33, is a Palestinian leasing manager for Majid Al Futtaim Retail.

“I was certainly touched by the unexpected connections I made,” he said. The ‘workers’ I pass by became particular individuals with whom I shared laughs and now know a few by name. Hearing of their work environment directly from them made them, in my opinion, a key element towards making Dubai the city we know today.”

artslife@thenational.ae

Winners

Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)

Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)

TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski

Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)

Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea

Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona

Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)

Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)

Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)

Best National Team of the Year: Italy

Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello

Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)

Player Career Award: Ronaldinho

Film: In Syria
Dir: Philippe Van Leeuw
Starring: Hiam Abbass, Diamand Bo Abboud, Mohsen Abbas and Juliette Navis
Verdict: Four stars

NO OTHER LAND

Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal

Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham

Rating: 3.5/5

Ruwais timeline

1971 Abu Dhabi National Oil Company established

1980 Ruwais Housing Complex built, located 10 kilometres away from industrial plants

1982 120,000 bpd capacity Ruwais refinery complex officially inaugurated by the founder of the UAE Sheikh Zayed

1984 Second phase of Ruwais Housing Complex built. Today the 7,000-unit complex houses some 24,000 people.

1985 The refinery is expanded with the commissioning of a 27,000 b/d hydro cracker complex

2009 Plans announced to build $1.2 billion fertilizer plant in Ruwais, producing urea

2010 Adnoc awards $10bn contracts for expansion of Ruwais refinery, to double capacity from 415,000 bpd

2014 Ruwais 261-outlet shopping mall opens

2014 Production starts at newly expanded Ruwais refinery, providing jet fuel and diesel and allowing the UAE to be self-sufficient for petrol supplies

2014 Etihad Rail begins transportation of sulphur from Shah and Habshan to Ruwais for export

2017 Aldar Academies to operate Adnoc’s schools including in Ruwais from September. Eight schools operate in total within the housing complex.

2018 Adnoc announces plans to invest $3.1 billion on upgrading its Ruwais refinery

2018 NMC Healthcare selected to manage operations of Ruwais Hospital

2018 Adnoc announces new downstream strategy at event in Abu Dhabi on May 13

Source: The National

Afghanistan Premier League - at a glance

Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Fixtures:

Tue, Oct 16, 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Kabul Zwanan; Wed, Oct 17, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Nangarhar Leopards; 8pm: Kandahar Knights v Paktia Panthers; Thu, Oct 18, 4pm: Balkh Legends v Kandahar Knights; 8pm: Kabul Zwanan v Paktia Panthers; Fri, Oct 19, 8pm: First semi-final; Sat, Oct 20, 8pm: Second semi-final; Sun, Oct 21, 8pm: final

Table:

1. Balkh Legends 6 5 1 10

2. Paktia Panthers 6 4 2 8

3. Kabul Zwanan 6 3 3 6

4. Nagarhar Leopards 7 2 5 4

5. Kandahar Knights 5 1 4 2

The biog

Fatima Al Darmaki is an Emirati widow with three children

She has received 46 certificates of appreciation and excellence throughout her career

She won the 'ideal mother' category at the Minister of Interior Awards for Excellence

Her favourite food is Harees, a slow-cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled wheat berries mixed with chicken

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Election pledges on migration

CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"

SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"

How to wear a kandura

Dos

Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts

Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying