‘Maktaba,’ an imprint of Kalimat Group, and the UAE Board on Books for Young people(UAEBBY)organised an Iftarand reading session for children from theSocial Child Care Centreon Thursday. Arranged to be in conjunction with the blessed month of Ramadan, the event provided literary entertainment for the youngsters and sought to instill within them hope and optimism for the future.

Taking place in a setting decorated with lanterns and crescent moons to imbue a special ambience designed to signifythe spirit of Ramadan, the event began with a reading session byHE Abdulaziz Almusallam, in which herecited from his book ‘Kana Kana’, a story from Emirati heritage. The session was followed by another reading session with authorSamya Ayeshreading from her book ‘Kabeer..Sagheer’ (Big  ... Small).

“UAEBBY’s invitation to children from the Social Child Care Centre in Sharjah came under our efforts to promote a love of reading in society and to provide high-quality books with unique content to enrich children’s minds. Through this activity we also emphasised the fact that Emirati orphans are an integral part of our community and that we should support them and include them in all the initiatives we organise,” said Marwa Al Aqroubi, President of the UAEBBY Executive Board.

Al Aqroubi stressed that inviting the children to the literary Iftarwas an initiative to give them the sense that they have a family, are capable of building a prosperous and rewarding future and are no different than their peers. As well as providing them with entertainment during the holy month, the event was instigated to encourage them to love books and understand the notion that through reading they are able to advance and succeed in all aspects of life. 

In addition to the reading activity, theevent featured two workshops, the first one tackled traditional Arabic artistic themes that align with the holy month, and the second was an interactive workshop for the children, including face-painting andthe giving of Ramadan gifts. The children attending expressed their happiness at the efforts made by the organisers and thanked them for providing them with a highly enjoyable evening.

For his part, Tamer Saeed, Managing Director of Kalimat Group, said: “Our participation in organising this event - in conjunction with the UAE Board on Books for Young People - stems from our belief in the value of giving. It is also a manifestation of our commitment to encouraging children to read and to become passionate about books, as we firmly believe that this equips them with the skills needed to deal with the world."
 
Saeed pointed out that Maktaba aims to educate children and young people about the importance of reading at an early age. He said that Maktaba not only aims to put a smile on the faces of orphaned children,it also seeks to integrate all segments of society and to inculcate within every citizen a love of reading.