UAE-Based Fathers and Kids Volunteer to Build Classrooms for Eid

Fathers And Kids Camping, a group of families from the UAE, aim to transform a community school in Zanzibar as a gift for Eid. The group was formed after a group of dads and their children went camping trips in the UAE.

The Dubai-based group will team up on Saturday in the small fishing village of Kizimkazi in Zanzibar to expand ‘Seeds of Light’ School in a six-days project.

More than 70 adults and children will be helping build five classrooms, bathrooms and a playground, plus install a rooftop solar PV system to power the school, allowing children and adults to study in the evening.

Over AED500,000 ($136,000) were donated by individuals and businesses in the UAE to the Tanzanian charity CR Hope Foundation, which runs the school.

"The original idea was to get kids together with their dads and challenge them to have an adventure, to push their boundaries. Said organiser Vahid Fotuhi, 45.

"Our camping trips covered all seven emirates and Oman. We wanted to expose the kids to nature and get them to switch off for a weekend.

"The natural next step was to expose them to the realities of the world," he said.

Five Projects in 5 Years

Starting in 2018, the group’s first projects was a Ramadan kitchen were they volunteered to prepare help prepare, package and serve 5,000 meals to low-wage workers in Dubai alongside Classic Catering.

Meanwhile, Fathers and Kids Camping went for their first international trip in 2019 to Zambia. Back then, 18 families worked on a project that enabled 100 orphaned children to gain access to primary education through adding 4 classes and a solar-powered computer lab.

The group completed their third project in Eastern Kenya were they built three solar-powered water stations in three villages, in partnership with the non-profit social enterprise Project Maji. The facilities now provide clean drinking water to 5,000 villagers and school children.

In 2020, the group partnered with Classic Catering, the UAE Food Bank, and 300 students from across Dubai to deliver 30,000 warm meals to blue-collar.

This recent project in Zanzibar will be their fifth!

Image Credits: Instagram @fatherandkidscamping

This article was previously published on UAE Moments.To see the original article, click here