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[ t.w.m.d ] A Project Snapshot

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Together We Make A Difference was really REALLY good, and now that the on-the-ground stuff is done we can share the whole story of this cool project carried out in collaboration with Majid Al Futtaim. 
 

So here is a pictorial journey through Together We Make A Difference, because pictures tell thousands of words (but we will also write a lot of words...)

PART ONE - The Care Packs. 
The focus of Together We Make A Difference was the giving of care packs by Majid Al Futtaim, to the workers on one of their building sites. The role of the [sameness] project was to infuse the giving with a whole lot of goodness and plenty of moments of sameness.

We got together with a group of Majid Al Futtaim staff for the packing of the care packs and managed to assembled over 500 in about 45 minutes with over 60 staff creating a production line that included toothpaste, razors, t-shirts, shampoo, phone cards, and a bunch of other items.

PART TWO - The Postcards. 
Part of the solution to personalising the care packs was to have Majid Al Futtaim staff write personal notes on special postcards and place them inside the care packs. One side of the postcard had the phrase "we care about you" spelt out in 6 different languages, while the other held the personal message, and attached to it all was a phone card for each worker.
It was awesome to see so many people writing unique, personalised notes, and then a few days later seeing the workers discover and read them on-site.

PART THREE - Getting Into The Action On-Site! 
We're going to preface this step by saying that Together We Make A Difference is the sweatiest project we have ever done, surpassing even the summertime scorching of Water for Workers. 
Who cares about heat though, putting all the planning and preparation into action is the highlight of any project, and being on-site with the workers was so good! 

The experience started off with workers being served Karak tea & soft drinks by Majid Al Futtaim staff, and connecting over our TWMD facecloths which had "we care about you" also written out in English, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, and Malayalam. And that was the message we wanted the workers to get, that we care about them, that they are appreciated and that they matter!

A creative element was added in with everyone, Majid Al Futtaim staff & Pullman Residence workers, putting painted hand prints on Karak tea cups at the first engagement and creating a mural of fingerprints at the second site-visit. 
A creative element may sound child-like and we would say, yup! It's about restarting the heart, bringing us back to a bit of childlike fun, and doing something with our hands that isn't work.

The last step of the process was to give the guys their care packs, and it makes a huge difference receiving a gift from someone who you've spent some time drinking tea with, chatting with, and being creative with. It wasn't a "here is a care pack, goodbye" moment, it was handshakes, smiles, more chit chat and in some case hugs. Beautiful. 

SPECIAL MOMENTS:
Every project has moments that stick out for special reasons, here are two of our favourites:

Jamal's Hugs: Every single worker who was taken through the process by this Majid Al Futtaim staff member was given a massive hug along with their care pack. It's a beautiful thing to see someones face mid-embrace, in a hug that they didn't really expect, but that means a whole lot.

The Clap: As each worker filed out of the project area they were given a standing ovation by Majid Al Futtaim staff who were forming a line at the door. Their faces really said it all! Seeing the workers truly recognise that they are valued and appreciated was pretty special.

We'll have more coming out soon on Together We Make A Difference, so keep an eye on our website and social media as we share more project goodness!

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