Free Iftar for Dubai labourers

Transcript

00:00Sunset and Dubai's workers break their fast on the first day of Ramadan.

00:10After a hard day's work, they are headed to an iftar tent in Satwa, erected by the Red

00:14Crescent.

00:15It's one of four across the city where blue-collar workers will be served up free food during

00:20the month.

00:21On the menu, water, yogurt, a couple of dates and an orange.

00:25And large vats of biryani have been donated by nearby hotels.

00:29Community volunteers helped set up the tent and ferry the food around.

00:34But with no fans, conditions became a little sticky.

00:37And with a mass of unexpected crowds, a few chaotic moments broke out.

01:00Authorities say they were expecting around 500 to show up, far fewer than the 1,000 who

01:06packed inside the tent.

01:09Volunteers had a tough time coping with the extra influx of people.

01:13It's a challenging logistical operation, which they say will improve in the coming days.

01:30Organisers say they will have air conditioning up and running, as well as speakers to project

01:38the sunset call to prayer into the tents.

01:41And with three other tents dotted around the city, they expect to be feeding a lot of hungry

01:45bellies in the coming month.

01:47Sunita Menon, Gulf News.