CONNECTOR.AE 60 CONNECTOR.AE 61 Lifestyle Lifestyle Tara Shah Khan added, “We approached the CDA who were delighted to have us, and they gave us all the details that we needed, and then we legally registered with them. Now every month, we do two or three activities in the labour camps by distributing meals, especially during the festival time.” In December 2022, the team of four was recognised by the CDA for all their hard work and were given an award for the best team. As the distribution of meals is open to anyone that would like to help out, there are many children that have also volunteered as part of the group, and are even given certificates to mark their time spent helping out. The youngest volunteer to distribute meals is Zahra Khan, Tara’s youngest daughter, aged 2 years old. Tara’s older daughter, Fatema Khan, aged 11 years old has also distributed meals at over 50 events. Tara Shah Khan said, “We got through to more people and we used to go and distribute the meals and the rations to the labour camps during COVID-19. Even after the pandemic, I did not want to stop and wanted to do something more.” Knowing the difference she was making in the lives of other labourers, Tara Shah Khan wanted to go through the legal route and involve the government, in an effort to be able to make the donations on a larger scale and help workers. Tara Shah Khan then established Magical Smiles UAE, along with co-founders Lokesh Mishra, Tanveer Khan, and Rakesh Kaul, all like-minded individuals working towards the same cause. After approaching the Community Development Authority (CDA), the team of four were given approval and started donating meals, alongside other volunteers, at labour camps. Tara Shah Khan said, “My younger one, she’s the youngest volunteer in CDA. She started volunteering from the age of two and is so happy when she is distributing water bottles, and she does not get tired. She wants to distribute during the entire event, and even when we tell her not to do it, she removes the bottles from the packet and does it herself. My older one has distributed at more than 50 events.” One key factor that motivates Tara Shah Khan, her co-founders, their families and the volunteers to keep going back and distributing meals, despite the humid weather or cooler days in the UAE, is the joy they see when workers receive their meals donated. As many are away from their families, the workers find a sense of unity among the people distributing food to them and appreciate all that help out. Tara Shah Khan added, “They are very happy when we come with the kids and distribute meals, as one meal sometimes makes a lot of difference to their lives where they are alone, and are away from their families. So it really helps them and that is what we aim to do. We just want to spread happiness.” Although the group makes a difference by distributing meals, they also have launched various other initiatives to help low-wage workers. During the cooler months, blankets are distributed to keep workers warm as temperatures drop and a medical camp was also organised, to offer health checkups.
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