'Like gift for a best friend': UAE volunteers pack 10,000 school kits for low-income students
More than 450 volunteers, including 80 Aldar employees, came together at Nabat Al Falah to assemble 10,000 school kits as part of the 'Volunteer Emirates — Back to School' initiative, organised by Dubai Cares in partnership with Aldar.
The bags will be distributed through nine partner schools and charities across all seven emirates. Beneficiaries include charity-run and private schools, as well as students from low-income families enrolled in government schools.
'This year we expanded from seven to nine partners (schools and charitable organisations),' said Abdulla Ahmed Al Shehhi, Chief Operating Officer at Dubai Cares. 'We're reaching more communities, and it's not just charity schools; it's families who need the support, wherever their children are enrolled.'
In a first for the initiative, school bags were customised by gender: purple and white for girls, and green and black for boys. 'We wanted to make the pupils feel even more special,' Al Shehhi said.
Long-time volunteer Shalin Kaladharan, who was managing the packaging team, said the colour-coded bags added an extra 'happy factor' this year. 'We tell the volunteers to think of this as making a gift for a best friend — imagine the smile you want them to have,' he said, overseeing a checklist to ensure each bag contained sketchbooks, notebooks, pens, pencils, erasers, scales and coloured pencils.
By mid-morning, volunteers had already packed 3,500 of the 10,000 kits, which were being loaded directly onto trucks for delivery. For first-time volunteer Ahmad Shahin, assistant Vice President in Aldar's strategic sourcing team, the experience was about more than just packing stationery. 'Contributing to a good cause is the best feeling you might have,' he said, while packing marker pens at one of the assembly stations. Shahin brought along his sons, aged 8 and 12, to take part.
'I wanted to have the feeling that I play a crucial role in organising things and contributing to a good cause,' said 12-year-old Shihab. 'My heart flutters with joy even with the smallest things, like repacking pencils or glue sticks. The quality of the bags is amazing, and it feels rewarding to be part of this.'
Volunteer Emirates – Back to School has been running for more than a decade, with previous editions also supporting children in developing countries. In recent years, Dubai Cares has focused on the initiative locally. 'This is one of our most popular volunteer programmes because education touches everyone,' Al Shehhi said. 'When you see people coming together, from children to the elderly, it makes you proud of the community spirit we have in the UAE.'
The school kits will reach students through partners including Al Ihsan Charity Association, Al Etihad Charity Foundation, National Charity School, Hemaya School, The School of Tolerance, Al Tafawq Private School, Al Dhaid Private School, and Umm Al Qura Private School.
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