"Kalimat Foundation" A school campaign is launched to establish a culture of giving and support children’s access to books

Sharjah, May 22, WAM / Kalimat Foundation, the non-profit organization concerned with providing sources of knowledge for disadvantaged children, refugees, and people with visual disabilities, launched a school campaign in the UAE aimed at involving private school students in practical initiatives to support reading and humanitarian work, as part of its efforts to expand the impact of the “Adopt a Library” initiative, which provides integrated Arab libraries for children and communities who face difficulties in accessing books.

The campaign is based on the belief that the school is not only a place for learning, but also a space to form students’ awareness of their responsibility towards others. Through charitable and volunteer school activities, the Kalimat Foundation seeks to enable students to support children who may not own a single book or whose schools do not have libraries that open the door to reading, knowledge and imagination.

The Foundation launched its campaign in cooperation with the Emirates National Schools, Sharjah branch, where the school organized a charity bazaar with the participation of students of different ages and levels of study, in the presence of Fudail Al-Ahmad, Director of the Northern Emirates Complex at the Emirates National Schools, along with the educational and administrative staff. The students allocated the entire proceeds of the bazaar, which exceeded 40 thousand dirhams, to support the “Adopt a Library” initiative, which contributes to delivering Arabic books to children and communities in need of sustainable sources of knowledge.

Emirates National Schools will also continue to support the efforts of the Kalimat Foundation by organizing initiatives in its branches within the UAE that enhance children’s access to knowledge and encourage students to participate in humanitarian work.

This cooperation reflects a model of what schools can create when they give students the opportunity to participate in tangible humanitarian work. A contribution that begins with a simple school activity can be transformed into a library that reaches a child deprived of a book and gives him a wider space to learn, express and discover the world around him.

Amna Al Mazmi, Director of the Kalimat Foundation, said that what the Emirates National Schools and their students did expresses the spirit of this campaign. The students did not just donate, but rather participated in organizing an initiative that teaches them that giving is an organized and responsible act and that its impact can reach children they will not meet, but it will remain present in their lives. We value the support of the Emirates National Schools and their participation in our journey to establish a culture of giving and charitable work among school students in the Emirates.

She added that the Kalimat Foundation believes that access to books is a basic right for every child, which should not be determined by geography, economic conditions, displacement, or weak educational infrastructure. There are children who have never owned a book before, children who have never entered a library, and children who need sources of knowledge in their mother tongue that give them confidence, reassurance, and the ability to imagine.

Ahmed Al Bastaki, Deputy Director General of Emirates National Schools, said: “Emirates National Schools believe that their role is not limited to academic education, but extends to building the student’s personality and consolidating the values ​​of giving and social responsibility in him. From this standpoint, we are keen to involve our students in specific initiatives that give them an opportunity to learn through work and participation and help them understand their impact on society.”

Through this campaign, the Kalimat Foundation seeks to expand the network of cooperation with private schools in Sharjah and the UAE and encourage educational institutions to adopt innovative activities that support reading and connect students with humanitarian work. The Foundation also works to enhance the presence of the Arabic book in the lives of children who need it and provide sustainable sources of knowledge that help them learn and preserve their connection to language and culture.

The Kalimat Foundation praised the contribution of the Emirates National Schools and the role played by its administration, educational bodies and students in supporting this initiative, stressing that school partnerships constitute an important part of its mission to make reading closer to every child and transform giving into a practice that students experience from the early stages of their lives.

It is noteworthy that the “Adopt a Library” initiative, since its launch, has succeeded in distributing more than 200 mobile libraries, benefiting more than 100,000 children in 27 countries, in partnership with international institutions and organizations. Each library includes 100 books in the Arabic language, chosen in proportion to the targeted age groups, to provide a sustainable source of knowledge in schools, centers, and communities that need to enhance their reading resources.

Through the initiative, the Kalimat Foundation continues to expand the reach of the Arabic book to children in less fortunate environments through a practical model that allows individuals, institutions and schools to contribute to the adoption of complete libraries in a way that supports the continuity of the initiative and enhances its impact on the beneficiary communities.

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