Giving Back is Part of Good Business

Giving Back is Part of Good Business: We build companies because we want to make a real difference. Every entrepreneur wishes to significantly improve things for their prospective customers and within their industries. But, once we have attained a certain level of business success, it is important to be able to give back to the wider community, so it can also benefit from our hard-earned success.

The initial UAS CARES ‘Share to Care Program’ saw myself and some of my employees volunteer to provide and distribute food parcels to some 1,500 laborers at Sonapur Labor Camp in Dubai throughout Ramadan. Since the Holy Month is the time when the less fortunate are foremost in our thoughts, it was the ideal time to make a donation of money and time to circulate some goodwill and see the direct impact that our efforts were making. It turned out to also be an incredible learning experience for me personally.

We received a great welcome from the workers when we arrived. Despite the basic living conditions at the camp, the place was kept clean and was noticeably well cared for. I was impressed with how well the workers organized cooking cycles in their huge shared kitchen to ensure everyone got an adequate amount of time and space. The camaraderie amongst the workers is remarkable. As we began giving out food parcels, I noticed they appointed a single representative per group to ensure more efficiency and speed in the distribution. This high level of collaboration really impressed me, as did their humbleness and patience.

I had the opportunity to speak to men whose work is extremely physically demanding and who are often separated from their families for two years at a time.  Being open to constant learning is crucial for business success and spending time with laborers so far from their homes helped me empathize with them better and this, in turn, made me feel even more thankful that I have those I love close to me.

Finally, it was great to mix with my employees outside of the office environment and see that their enthusiasm for their work extended to their volunteering activities. I’m also hoping that leading by example as UAS CEO will inspire more people to get involved in voluntary work in the future, so they too can enjoy the blessings of knowing that they are contributing to a significant change in the world. With UAS CARES, we will continue to plan and execute voluntary activities to ensure we constantly reinvest in our communities.

Take a look at our short video of UAS at Sonapur Labor Camp, Dubai

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