Dubai’s popular supermarket chain Choithrams and 1999 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) team up to bring emergency medical care to thousands of people stuck in the ongoing conflict in West Bank and Gaza. From 20 March until 15 May, 2024, Choithrams will donate towards medical interventions for every purchase of Goodness Foods products marked with a special sticker. The products will be available at 39+ Choithrams stores in Dubai, online on Choithrams.com, and food delivery apps.
The collaboration will provide much-needed relief to thousands of people in distress, requiring medical support. Estimates suggest that approximately 1.7 million individuals, constituting three-quarters of Gaza’s residents, are now residing in perilous and inhabitable conditions. The World Health Organization reports a proliferation of communicable diseases within Gaza, including diarrhoea, respiratory ailments, dermal infections, and hepatitis.
L.T. Pagarani, Chairman of Choithrams Group, said, “Providing relief through medical interventions is the most important humanitarian work we can do to stand next to those in urgent need. As we commemorate 50 years of service to the people of UAE, the “Give Gaza Goodness” campaign in support of MSF activities gives us yet another opportunity to partner with our customers and stakeholders and make a meaningful contribution together.”
Generous donations from members of the public through the purchase of more than 100 Goodness Foods products marked with special stickers will go a long way towards bringing relief in the short and medium term. For MSF, the ability to respond quickly to medical humanitarian emergencies is crucial to saving more lives. Expanding on the remit of the support, Khalid Elsheikh, Executive Director of MSF UAE said, “In these challenging times, Gaza's population faces imminent risks and medical needs. We humbly appeal for the compassion and kindness of Choithrams’ customers to join us in supporting this campaign. Together, let's extend our hands to provide essential medical and psychological assistance, as well as humanitarian aid, to the most vulnerable individuals in Gaza, offering them hope and relief in their time of greatest need.”
Choithrams has been supporting various projects undertaken by MSF in the Middle East and African region. In February 2020, Choithrams support provided relief to thousands in war-affected regions of the Middle East through MSF's Antibiotic Stewardship Programme in Amman. Choithrams’ Ramadan campaign in 2021 gave hope to more than 20,000 women in Malawi at the risk of cervical cancer.