Michael Clarke leads visit through Dubai Labour Camp Australian captain Michael Clarke together with team mates Peter Siddle, Chris Rogers, Alex Doolan, Steve O’Keefe and Ben Hilfenhaus have thrown their support behind the United Arab Emirates’ Adopt-A-Camp initiative which aims to improve the lives of the men who build the region’s beautiful cities and through them, aid the diverse communities from which they come. During a visit to a Dubai labour camp, the players were given a rare insight into the lives of thousands of migrant workers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh who work long hours and endure extreme heat in relative isolation as a means of providing for their families back home. The visit forms part of Cricket Australia’s community action program, Cricket Cares, which seeks to use the game as a positive agent of change throughout society. The Adopt-A-Camp program has been working with up to 50,000 labourers in labour camps for eight years and runs important support services such as free English classes, specialist medical, optical and dental treatment, hygiene workshops and counseling for those struggling to cope with being separated from their families for long periods of time. Reflecting on the experience of visiting the camp, fast-bowler Peter Siddle said: “As cricketers we’re in a privileged position whereby we get to travel the world and experience different counties and cultures. That means we also have a great opportunity to make a positive contribution to the communities that we visit.” “Today’s experience certainly gave us a different perspective on the buildings that make Dubai such an amazing city. There’s thousands of workers here from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh who are working hard to create better lives for their families back home. Some of the sacrifices that these men make to provide for their families are quite extraordinary and it certainly puts our own day-to-day challenges into perspective. “Given that so many workers are from cricket loving countries, it was nice to be able to spend time with them and support the great work of the Adopt-A-Camp program.”
Posted on: Fri, 10 Oct 2014 10:45:09 +0000