OneHeartBahrain News & Media
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Together, we can
Spreading Eid joy among the needy
Gulf Daily News, 12 April 2024
GlobalCare Initiative Supports Needy Workers during Ramadan
The Daily Tribune, News of Bahrain, 26 March 2024
Most Dedicated Migrant Labour Support & Welfare Champions - MENA
MEA Business Awards, March 2024
Students launch Ramadan drive
Gulf Daily News, 25 March 2024
Ramadan helping hands
Day of fun and special care
Call to help financially distressed labourers
Gulf Daily News, 19 December 2023
The Spirit of Giving
Needy families across the kingdom are set to receive some Christmas joy this season as OneHeartBahrain kicks off its festive campaign, writes Julia Cassano.
Run by a group of volunteers, the drive urges people to donate a variety of items, which will be distributed to low-income families across Bahrain to support them and spread merry cheer during the month.
One Heart Bahrain extends aid to struggling workers in Sitra
The Daily Tribune, News of Bahrain, 4 June 2023
Workers who made headlines recently by protesting against months of unpaid wages received much-needed support from One Heart Bahrain, a charitable organisation, to alleviate their immediate needs.
The organisation has supplied the workers at the Sitra camp with a week’s worth of groceries, besides giving them moral support.
The Daily Tribune reported that over 340 employees of a well-known construction company initiated a protest, demanding their pending wages, which span up to five months.
Wage delays leave workers stranded, in need for food support: OneHeartBahrain
The Daily Tribune, News of Bahrain, 30 April 2023
(…) However, OneHeartBahrain, a charity organisation, says they are now experiencing a similar spike in food support requests, especially from workers, but for a different reason: delay in wages, mostly up to six months.
(….) those fallen into such desperate situation mostly are individuals from the African continent. She claims most of them had funded their visa and jobs in Bahrain by selling every thing they had, including houses. They paid agencies dearly under the illusion that their work visas and employment arrangements were in place. ‘But instead found themselves marred with visa and job delays of upto several months. ‘Once they were able to start, their companies stopped paying after a month or so, citing financial difficulties, further exasperating their situation. ‘Now they are stranded with mounting debt and had to fully rely on the charity to wade through.’
Ramadan May Be Over But Good Deeds Must Continue
The Daily Tribune, News of Bahrain, 25 April 2023
Once again, OneHeartBahrain launches an appeal to encourage the Bahrain community to help those in dire need. ‘As a community, it is our responsibility to help those who are in need and lessen their stress. (…) the scale of the problem goes much larger than this as there are hundreds of labourers in the camp who sold everything they own to come work here and have only received one month’s pay since their arrival.’
‘We believe a little goes a long way. If our community could contribute, no matter how small, together we can make sure no one ever goes hungry,’ said Noor Murad, project coordinator.
Major bid to ensure no one goes hungry this Ramadan
Gulf Daily News, 15 April 2023
(…) The initiative will run until the beginning of Eid and then the caring charity will launch its ‘Eid Meals with Love for Families in Need’.
“We will be distributing meals to families that require food support,” added Ms Murad. “These families are part of OneHeart Bahrain’s wider database and we wanted to offer support to those going througn a difficult time right now.”
OneHeart Bahrain Launch Campaigns To Feed 2,000 Less Fortunate During Ramadan
The Daily Tribune, News of Bahrain, 23 March 2023
Noor Murad, the leading volunteer for the Ramadan and Eid Campaign, told The Daily Tribune: “In the spirit of giving during the holy month of Ramadan, we aim to give back to the community that creates so much for us and our island.”
Gifts of warmth
Gulf Weekly, 11-17 January 2023
A call has gone out to donate and collect warm winter clothing for less-fortunate labourers, for whom such necessary attire is often a luxury, by a local group of hard-working volunteers.
OneHeartBahrain, an unregistered, not-for-profit community organisation, launched their annual winter campaign on January 2 and it runs until January 17.
“The aim of this campaign is to give a little warmth to others and coming together as one family of people, by considering how they may be experiencing the colder months, especially in cases where people are lacking the funds to purchase winter clothing and blankets,” OneHeartBahrain founder Birthe van der Heijden told GulfWeekly.
OneHeartBahrain Launches Campaign For Families in Need
The Daily Tribune, News of Bahrain, 25 December 2022
One Heart Bahrain, a charity group that provides a Social Safety Net for People in Need, has come up with a campaign with US Navy groups in Bahrain to make Christmas enjoyable and happy for all families in the Kingdom.
The charity told the Daily Tribune it aims to collect and donate food and clothing during the holiday season to those in need.
“Our aim is to support and strengthen the socio-economic fabric of Bahrain by offering a social safety net provided through the loving support of our One Heart volunteers,” Birthe van der Heijden, the founder of OneHeartBahrain, told Tribune. … their volunteers speak many languages, from Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Urdu, Filipino, and English.
Food for all
BIG-HEARTED charity groups in the kingdom have joined the rest of the globe in celebrating World Food Day on Sunday by rallying meal donations for the less fortunate to ensure no one goes hungry or is left behind. World Food Day 2022, themed ‘Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow’, is among the most celebrated days of the UN calendar.
Community unites to protect environment
Bahrain’s environmentalists have been commemorating today’s World Environment Day with a series of beach clean-ups, cultural events and seedling distributions which started over the weekend. … Community organisation OneHeartBahrain organised a clean-up at Nurana Beach, with 60 volunteers working hard to collect 96 bags of waste… We’d love to see Bahrain’s beaches as a shining example of this island’s rich Pearling Heritage.
Banishing the birthday blues
Two community groups that support the less fortunate across the island have teamed up to launch a toy appeal in a bid to make a child’s birthday dreams come true. The unregistered, not-for-profit OneHeartBahrain and Gloria’s Team charity champions are urging people to donate toys, school supplies and clothes to make a soon-to-be six-year-old girl’s birthday better, after two years of not being able to celebrate due to financial constraints.
Shoebox plea for workers on May Day
Gulf Daily News, 29 April 2022
People from across the kingdom are being urged to join a campaign aimed at celebrating labourers in Bahrain. The unregistered, not-for-profit charity champions, OneHeartBahrain, has launched a shoebox appeal for the cause. Individuals can fill the boxes with useful items, which will be distributed at different camps on Sunday, marking Labour Day. “Labourers make great sacrifices – not only in terms of their productive efforts but also in terms of the life they leave behind in their home country, working hard to provide for those they care about ,” said Birthe van der Heijden. … “We want to honour both the labour and the special abilities community, by making them come together under the same campaign. The special abilities children will be decorating the shoeboxes to make the gift presentation even more special for labourers. This is a lovely opportunity for the children to give back to another community and to have the chance to creatively express themselves for a shared cause.”
SSP BAHRAIN sponsors "Together We Eat"
Bahrain This Week, 24 April 2022
In continuation of its Ramadan charity, SSP BAHRAIN sponsored an Iftar get-together in association with One Heart Bahrain at Thai Mart Mall for low-income labourers working at different sectors in the Kingdom of Bahrain on April 21, 2022. “Together We Eat” was organized with a vision of everyone coming together and breaking their fast at the same time in complete equality. Around 120 labourers joined the event to break their fast in unity.
Charity call as champions gear up for Ramadan drive
Gulf Daily News, 22 April 2022
Charity champions and community campaigners across the kingdom are urging people to practise the spirit of giving throughout the holy month as they aim to distribute packages of goodness to those in need during Ramadan.
Pay it forward
Fact Magazine Bahrain, Page 38-39, April 2022
One Heart Bahrain during Ramadan
One Heart Bahrain has launched a whole list of drives in collaboration with We Care and other organisations and institutions in the Kingdom. They will provide food aid, hygiene kits and preloved clothes to labourers and conduct a toy drive for kids in preparation for Eid. They will also organise a medical awareness event for labourers which will include spreading awareness on physical hygiene, mental health and wellbeing, and first aid. You can donate towards care packages that will be distributed at this event. They will furthermore conduct a food event, Together We Eat, on April 21 at Thai Mart Mall in Diyar Al Muharraq, where you can sponsor meals for labourers and even dine with them as one big family.
Lulu walk for Down syndrome awareness
Bahrain This Week, 22 March 2022
A heartwarming walk of togetherness took place at the Dana Mall on MARCH 18, when people from all walks of life joined children and adults with Down Syndrome to celebrate the joy and loving generosity that they bring to their interaction with everybody. “We are so happy to partner with OneHeartBahrain to help raise awareness about Down Syndrome,” said Lulu Group Director, Juzer Rupawala,
We’re all one
A message of inclusivity will be spread across the island on Friday when people of all walks of life come together to raise awareness about World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD). Members of the unregistered, not-for-profit charity champions, OneHeartBahrain, are staging a ‘Walk for Fun’ event for the entire family to enjoy at the back of LuLu Hypermarket’s Dana Mall featuring free health check-ups from American Mission Hospital (AMH) and other activities…all for the caring cause.
A warm gesture!
A giving group of people have been roaming the kingdom’s labour camps to hand out thousands of hoodies as part of a big-hearted clothing drive to keep them all snug and warm while working during the breezy season. The ‘Winter Campaign- Hoodies for Low-Income Workers’, organised by the unregistered, non-profit charity champions, OneHeartBahrain, and its sister group WeCareBH, has distributed 1,500 hooded jumpers to those in need and after weeks of daily night deliveries since January 23, the generous volunteers have happily reached their target.
Gift of warmth
A group of big-hearted individuals from across Bahrain are rallying to give the less fortunate the gift of warmth this festive season through a month-long ‘Winter Clothing Drive.’ The unregistered, non-profit charity champions, OneHeartBahrain, are driving around the kingdom collecting bags full of cosy winter-wear to deliver to those in need before the cold sets in.
An expression of love
Gulf Daily News, 17 October 2021
SHARING in World Food Day 2021’s global event of raising awareness and providing support to end world hunger are two local charity groups OneHeartBahrain and WeCareBH, who work in partnership with each other to each play their part in eradicating hunger in Bahrain. ‘We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink’ – Epicurus Sharing food is an expression of love, as the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus already suggested over 2,000 years ago.
Helping Hands
Gulf Weekly, 22 September 2021
The kingdom’s overwhelming generosity during the Afghan refugee appeal inspired other charitable entities such as OneHeartBahrain to launch a new initiative to spread goodwill across the kingdom. The social media campaign was launched in September 2019 by social strategist Birthe van der Heijden, a Bahrain resident who believes in spreading awareness about the beauty of diversity and how we are stronger together.
Gifts of joy
Children from underprivileged families will be receiving a toy gift of happiness on the first day of Eid thanks to donations from big-hearted supporters of a community initiative. The OneHeartBahrain social media campaign, aimed at spreading goodwill across the island through acts of kindness, collected more than 1,000 toys during Ramadan.
Giving from the heart
Fact Magazine Bahrain, May 2021
Get involved and give back this Ramadan season.
OneHeartBahrain is a goodwill movement founded by Birthe van der Heijden two years ago. Initially started with the aim of providing home-cooked meals for workers that had not been paid, it developed into a community initiative that serves underprivileged families or migrant workers in Bahrain by providing basic food items, fresh meals and generally helping in battling food insecurity. Birthe says: “OneHeartBahrain’s vision is that we are ‘One World, One People and One Heart’. We have over 100 volunteers involved in our drives that help spread the message of unity and kindness.”
Hearts of Gold
The community-driven OneHeartBahrain social media initiative aimed at spreading goodwill across the island through acts of kindness is running several Ramadan campaigns to help people in need throughout the holy month. More than 100 big-hearted people have joined the caring campaign that is planning to donate thousands of fresh meals and grocery boxes full of non-perishable items to labourers and the less fortunate across the island .
In this together
Bahrain This Month, 08 March 2021
It’s easy for the community to overlook a very crucial part of our society, which has played a significant role in these developments – migrant workers. This segment of society is often overlooked and faces several hardships, sometimes involving access to basic necessities. Charity groups like OneHeartBahrain – founded by Birthe van der Heijden – are often a saving grace for these workers.
Here Is How You Can Help One Heart Bahrain Deliver Food To Those In Need
One such organization who is always at the forefront of helping people out is One Heart Bahrain founded by Birthe van der Heijden. They organize initiatives to provide food for migrant workers and request fellow residents to volunteer with them so they can all together cultivate a more sensitive and helpful community.
One voice, one love
The community driven OneHeartBahrain initiative, known for spreading goodwill across the island from preparing meals for migrant workers to staging meditations, has launched a YouTube channel to keep the spirit of giving and hope alive.
Stronger together
Gulf Weekly, 12-18 February 2020
OneHeart-Bahrain, founded by Birthe van der Heijden, aims to unite the kingdom through acts of kindness from preparing meals for migrant workers to staging meditations to inspire like-minded individuals.
One heart, one Bahrain
Gulf Weekly, 12-18 February 2020
What started as a personal Instagram account showcasing the life of Birthe van der Heijden in Bahrain, flourished into a community initiative in which she and big-hearted individuals cook up meals for migrant workers as well as spread the message of unity through kindness.