Dubai: She is the only woman in this room full of construction workers from Asia and the sub-continent. Many of these workers have come to Dubai from interior villages from their countries where the woman's place is in the kitchen or in the fields, planting crops.
But here in this room, so far away from home, away from the confines of their cultures, they are free, and do not mind a woman telling them to do certain things. They are avidly listening to her and surprisingly jump up at the chance to answer her questions like eager schoolchildren.
The only way Lakshmi Montgomery, a nutritionist, can get that kind of attention from these people, many of whom are illiterate, is because she has a hook. Her hook is her knowledge about how they can live their lives a little better, show them a technique or two to get rid of their tensions and hopefully improve their quality of life. All that knowledge is free.
Hooked
She has got them hooked to her classes and they are so interested in learning that they will even come at 6 am, before they go to work. "This has spread by word of mouth and people in other accommodations are asking when she will come to teach them," says Ammar Al Hejawi, camp coordinator of Arabtec's labour accommodation in Al Quoz.
"When we heard about her, we asked her to do the same thing for us," says Mahmoud Al Shanti, Arabtec's Administrative Manager. "It helps them, and in turn could help improve their productivity," he said.
Lakshmi works in tandem with her husband Brian, an adviser on construction safety issues. Their programme is called Campfits.
She also teaches them how to cook. "Three people were using 12 litres of oil every month," she says. "They deep-fried the fish, drained the oil and cooked the vegetables in the same utensil. They were practically drinking oil. I showed them what cholesterol does to them." She shows them how to cook food that is tasty, has a nice flavour and most importantly, food which is healthy. The last is important for these people working in the most trying conditions on the construction sites. "Many of them were not eating breakfast. I showed them how just a banana, some biscuits and a glass of milk is essential for their energy," she said. "And it just costs Dh1.50."
She talks about the intense heat and how it saps their energy. One worker quickly stands up and answers in Hindi how much water he should drink a day when he is working. "Four and a half litres," he says.
"I found people sitting in groups; Bangladeshis sitting on one side, Indians on the other. I got them to mingle," says the Australian of Indian origin.
The knowledge she is imparting also includes how to budget, how to keep their surroundings clean and how to read simple signs. "Many workers could not read the safety signs," she says.
She tells the workers an anecdote of how a worker asked someone for help in filling a form at a bank. The man was sending money home and the person who had helped, had filled in his own home address. "I want them to learn basic English, how to write their their name and address," she says.
The couple plan to seek help from the consulates of the countries from where these people come, for early learning books to set up small libraries in the labour accommodation.
Brian now plans to get the construction workers on an outing for a day.
