AL AIN // Two envelopes - one pink, one white - signalled a community's support for a family whose lives were torn apart by a devastating house fire.
The pink envelope contained photos of 10-year-old girls from Al Ain English Speaking School (AAESS) with a sewing machine; the girls stitched together a collection of bags last week and sold them over the weekend - one of many fundraising efforts for the Shaheen family.
The white envelope contained the proceeds of those efforts - about Dh20,000 in cash to ease the family's financial plight. Both envelopes were handed over at an emotional ceremony in Al Ain last night.
Tahrir Shaheen, 29, and her four-year-old son died in the fire in Al Jimi in the early hours of May 28, after she rushed back into the flames to try to rescue the little boy.
The death toll would have been higher but for the bravery of Mrs Shaheen's husband, Ahmed Khalil Shaheen, 30, a Jordanian, who smashed a hole in the wall of the blazing building with his 4x4 vehicle and helped to rescue 13 women and a nine-month-old baby trapped unconscious in the flames and smoke.
But the family lost everything: a mother and son, their home, all their possessions.
Nurses and staff at Tawam Hospital, residents of the Oasis Village residential compound, staff at Al Ain Mall, schoolgirls from AAESS and other community members read about the family's plight in The National last week. Hundreds of e-mails asking for donations were sent out and fliers were printed by those who were touched by the tragedy.
Sandy Jaloudi, a Palestinian American nurse, was moved to tears. She called her friend Seham Manna, also Palestinian American, and they decided to take action. In one week, through the donations of about 20 individuals, they raised a "significant" amount of money.
"I called Seham in tears and told her about what happened," said Ms Jaloudi, who is organising an NGO along with Mrs Manna to care for cancer patients. "She was at a meeting at Al Ain Mall and spread the word. We had to do something."
Last night in Al Ain, both women met members of the Shaheen family to give them the two envelopes.
As Mrs Manna's husband, Dr Joseph Manna, handed them over to Khalil Shaheen, 75, Tahrir's father, Ms Jaloudi said, "This is nothing compared to what you have suffered."
The elderly Mr Shaheen kissed and hugged Dr Manna, and said: "What you have done for us means a great deal. You are all like my daughters and sons. Please thank everyone that has contributed for me. They are all like angels."
The donations could not have been more timely for the Shaheen family as yesterday they had to leave the Al Ain hotel they were staying in because they were unable to pay, and returned to their gutted home. The Red Crescent Society had paid for the family to stay at the hotel for five nights.
"We had enough money to pay for an extra night, which we did on Saturday, but we were asked to leave today," Mr Shaheen said.
There is more help along the way, said Ms Jaloudi. "There is a fundraiser to come and additional efforts are being organised. Our goal is to raise enough money to pay the family's rent for a year."
A number of people have donated household items and clothing to help the family to get back on their feet, which will be handed over once they have rented a home, for which the Zakat Fund has pledged Dh45,000 towards rent once they find a suitable house.
ealghalib@thenational.ae
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
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Gender pay parity on track in the UAE
The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.
"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."
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As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general.
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
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The Bio
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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
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Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
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Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
