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 from.
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.
