Al Dhabi Investment general counsel and corporate secretary Angel Wesley received the Corporate Counsel Middle East Group (CCME) Achievement Award for her work on forming Abu Dhabi-based charity Labor of Love UAE.

The initiative was founded in 2011 to assist low-income workers in the emirate with healthcare, education and provisions for basic needs, as well as offering emotional support and social events and activities to help integrate workers into the wider community.

The charity, which is not permitted to engage in fundraising, co-ordinates with several labour camps to provide services and asks individuals and groups to sponsor the programmes and items needed. 

Volunteers gather materials through donations to distribute linen, donated by Abu Dhabi hotels, and care packs to workers in labour camps, while health lectures and pest control are also provided.

Since the project got off the ground, the charity has built two libraries with a multimedia centre and formed a food drive delivering non-perishable items to labour camps. 

The charity has also created a 'Sponsor a Wish' initiative, which seeks funding for items on individuals' wishlists, and a wellbeing scheme offering yoga and exercise classes. It is currently in the process of securing support for a programme of monthly art workshops.

CCME Group president Elias Hayek, who presented the award, said Wesley's work was an outstanding achievement for the legal profession.