Organizers And Volunteers Take Part In Ibtisamah Campaign For Children With Special Needs
As part of its community initiatives aimed at enhancing social inclusion in the society, the Community Development Authority (CDA) teamed up with the Corvette UAE Club to organize a special convoy involving children from various centres for special needs. The CDA was joined by a host of local associations and government bodies in addition to large numbers of volunteers for the event which took place on Friday under the CDA’s theme “Nurturing the seeds of change.”
Starting at the Jafiliyah area, the procession, which included over 25 Corvettes, each carrying a child with special needs, drove through Diyafah Street, Jumeirah Beach Road and ended its journey at the Palm Island, where the children enjoyed a visit to the newly-opened aquarium.
Dr. Maryam Mattar, Director General of the CDA expressed her gratitude to the group, in addition to the government authorities that helped make the event a success, including Dubai Police, which accompanied the convoy from start to finish, the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) that ensured that the route was clear and unrestricted, and the Dubai Shopping Festival Office, that provided support as part of its celebrations for Eid-Al-Fitr.
Dr. Mattar said, “The Community Development Authority is working to make Dubai a better place to live in for current and future generations, which is why we are developing a strategy that can help us make a positive change in the society at all levels.”
“As part of this strategy, we are committed to making sure that children with special needs are included positively in the society and accepted. We chose the Eid period as the time to send out our message of hope to children with special needs because it is the time that we should all share together in celebration. It was also important to get the public involved in the convoy so that we can show them how important each segment of the society is, and to let every person feel proud to be a part of the wonderful Dubai society.”
The CDA is currently developing and overseeing a host of community activities and social care initiatives aimed at improving social cohesion and spreading the feeling of social inclusion among residents of Dubai. It is also developing innovative programs to encourage this cohesion through volunteer work, as part of its ‘nurturing the seeds of change’ initiative.
Abdullah Khalifah Lootah, Chairman of the Corvette UAE Club said, “One of the core values of our club is sharing responsibility towards our families and society, and we felt that the CDA’s ‘Ibtisamah’ initiative to bring happiness to children with special needs during the Eid period was a truly noble one. The members were very happy to help out and volunteered immediately to strengthen the bonds of our society.”
The children also expressed their delight at the trip and their amazement at the colorful world they experienced in the aquarium, home of a large number of different species of underwater creatures. Sonya Al Hashimi, Chairman of UAE Down Syndrome Association, said “’Ibtisamah’ initiative sends out a message to all members of the society that the Eid celebrations should not exclude this brave segment of our society, who might face difficulties to blend in easily in the society due to any physical and mental disabilities. We are very happy to have joined the CDA in this initiative and we look forward to working together in the future on more programs aimed at increasing social cohesion.”
It is noteworthy that the CDA aims to attain the goals of Dubai Strategic Plan 2015, declared by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum in February, 2007, by setting up and developing frameworks for social development. It will be specifically working towards promoting National Identity, enhancing social protection, empowerment, social inclusion and social cohesion.
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