Participants Submit to ‘Freezing Cold Challenge' in Empathy of Syrian and Iraqi Refugees

Event formed part of The Big Heart Foundation’s ‘Warm Hearts Campaign’

Sharjah, January 30, 2017:  The experiencing of sub-zero temperatures with a minimum of warm clothing was the theme yesterday (Sunday) at the Chillout Lounge. A number of media personnel, social media celebrities and community members gathered to submit themselves to a frigid minus six degrees as part of a challenge organised by The Big Heart Foundation, (TBHF), a Sharjah-based international humanitarian body dedicated to aiding vulnerable people worldwide.

Themed ‘The Freezing Cold… Can You Hold on like Them?’ the initiative formed part of the ‘Warm Hearts’ Campaign, which was launched this month by TBHF and runs until February 7, 2017. The campaign aims to support more than 2,500 displaced families in Aleppo and Mosul as they endure extremely harsh winter conditions.

The main objective of this challenge was to highlight the suffering of refugees and displaced people in winter, drawing attention to the extremely cold temperatures that are experienced in Iraq and Syria at this time of the year. The absence of heating methods and life-saving essentials such as blankets and sometimes even clothes is causing a great deal of suffering among the refugees and is triggering numerous illnesses.

Responding to the challenge were a number of journalists and social media celebrities who stood for ten minutes in the Chillout Lounge’s below zero temperatures to express their solidarity with families forced to endure such harsh conditions. The participants entered the facility without coats, gloves and scarves, or the thermal jackets and footwear normally provided by the facility. Wearing just their clothes for the UAE’s outdoor climate, they undertook the challenge and then shared their experiences on social media sites, describing their extreme discomfort. In fact, such was the harsh reality of the minus degree temperatures that only a few of the participants managed to stay for the full ten minutes and complete the challenge.

Donation boxes are available at various locations in Sharjah and Ajman, including: Sahara Centre, Sharjah International Airport, a number of museums of the Sharjah Museums Department, Al Jawaher Reception and Convention Centre, Matajer Al Qarayen in Sharjah, Al Qasba, Al Majaz Waterfront, Paper Fig Desserts Restaurant, branches of Sharjah Cooperative Society in the middle region of the Emirate of Sharjah, City Centre Ajman and Grand Centrale Ajman. Donations can also be made by sending a Du SMS to the following numbers: 9965 to donate AED 10, or 9967 to donate AED 50, or 9968 to donate AED 100.

Those who wish to make direct fund transfers can send their donations to TBHF's Sharjah Islamic Bank account: 0011430430012 with, or to IBAN: AE260410000011430430012.