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Each of the tower's 1.2 million external lights was 'sold' for
10 dirhams ($2.70), enough to buy one meal. As donations came
in, the tower 'filled up', and people could also bid to claim
the light at the very top.
As the region's tourism and business hub with the world's
busiest international airport, Dubai's economy has been hit hard
by the coronavirus pandemic.
Many people have lost jobs or had incomes reduced. Tens of
thousands of migrant workers, who often live in crowded shared
accommodation where the virus spreads more easily, have
registered to be repatriated.
"Hope you have a good solid meal. We take things for granted but
life has a way of teaching us how to wake up," said donor
Shereen Harris in a public comment on the campaign's website.
The UAE has recorded 19,661 cases of infection with COVID-19 and
203 deaths, the second highest death toll after Saudi Arabia of
the six Gulf states.
The donation box has raised funds for more than 1.2 million
meals so far, organising body The Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Global Initiatives (MBRGI) said.
The fundraising drive is part of a campaign to fund 10 million
meals for low-income families during the Muslim fasting month of
Ramadan by MBRGI, patronised by Dubai's ruler and UAE Vice
President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
(Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Lisa Barrington; Editing by
Mike Collett-White)
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