'You will be the real Avengers': watch Abu Dhabi hospital staff receive letters of gratitude because of their service
20 May, 2020
With lives all over the world upturned by the coronavirus, sometimes it’s the tiny gestures that leave a lasting impact. Like acquiring a handwritten, personalised note after an extended shift that not only acknowledges your projects but also thanks you for your courage and strength.
It’s this very proven fact that led Mumbai's Pooja Pradeep, who founded the global non-profit Letters of Love, to launch a fresh initiative - the #DearHeroes project.
"A pal of mine, Christopher Littlefield, checked in on a few nursing directors in america and after being told that his words of acknowledgement meant much to them, he thought of how letters could be a silver lining in their hectic days," she tells The National.
"He got in touch at a time when I was already figuring out the logistical nightmare of bringing human connection in a socially distanced world through handwritten letters."
Littlefield's feedback, Pradeep says, served as the "thrust" needed and on April 10, she launched the #DearHeroes Campaign. The idea allows people to email messages of gratitude to those fighting the pandemic on leading lines, with a team of volunteers handwriting the notes on to letters then they deliver to healthcare workers.
In Abu Dhabi, the #DearHeroes project is managed by Shruthi Vijayan, communications director for Letters of Love, and Arun Varghese, an operations manager. The pair reached out to Abu Dhabi Health Services (Seha), and on Thursday, April 16, received confirmation that the group will be pleased to receive letters to distribute among healthcare workers.
“It all happened super fast,” says Vijayan. “We didn’t have the resources had a need to raise awareness about the initiative ourselves so we reached out to Blank Canvas Community which played a huge role in rallying the neighborhood community, and getting volunteers to write personalised messages for the frontline workers."
The messages came from volunteers themselves in addition to from strangers worldwide who could actually submit submissions through the Letters of Love website.
"Many thanks for sharing your time and effort and energy around - we be thankful, stay strong," read one such message from a well-wisher in Egypt while another, from India, compared doctors to superheroes. "You will be the real Avengers the world needs right now, thank you for your dedication in keeping us safe," it read.
Letters of Love also encouraged the application of upcycled or scrap paper when writing messages.
On April 28, Vijayan and Varghese travelled around Abu Dhabi, wearing masks and gloves, and collected the messages, that they had requested be properly handled and sanitised. The effect? More than 5,000 letters - the most significant number the non-profit has ever collected.
“Campaign ambassadors that deserve a particular mention are Aysia Cornell who wrote 1,200 letters and Nicole Simoes who penned 500 letters for staff,” says Vijayan.
Seha officials collected the letters on April 29, and distributed them to workers at Abu Dhabi’s Corniche Hospital and Sheikh Khalifa Medical City.
Then, mid-May, that they had a surprise for Letters of Love - pictures and videos that showed frontline workers, from nurses and doctors to hospital security, reading out or holding the letters.
“The reaction was amazing,” says Vijayan. “I think we all just desire a little hope at this time, especially those on leading line who opting for to go atlanta divorce attorneys day.
"We just wanted to make sure they are acknowledged for the work they are doing, and know that the rest of the world is not taking it for granted. With letters being a tangible, long-lasting reminder, we hope they will remember that they made a difference."
Source: www.thenational.ae
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