Emirates Foundation Fun Day delights children with special needs

 
The children were from the Gulf Autism Center, Special Care Centre, Future Centre for Special Needs and Ability Center special needs schools and centres from across the UAE and the organisers made sure there were lots of activities to suit all ages and abilities. These included arts and crafts, face painting, music, dancing, a magic show and every child’s favourite, the bouncy castle.
 
Held to coincide with Global Youth Service Day, the fun day aimed to promote the understanding and acceptance of youth with special needs and featured the participation of 10 Takatof volunteers who were on hand to help out. The event took place at Al Jazeera Club, Abu Dhabi, who offered the venue for free.

Maytha Al Habsi, chief programmes officer at Emirates Foundation, said it was a great opportunity for children to interact in a fun and welcoming environment.
 
“Children with special needs have the same needs and desires as their peers, which is why creating a sense of belonging and integration for them in the community is so important,” she said.
 
“Events like this one demonstrate the power of youth to change their community with their service and leadership. Volunteering is also a great way to meet with different people from different backgrounds and it is a fantastic learning experience for our UAE youth.
 
“Giving back to the community is a core value of Emirates Foundation and we are committed towards helping those who are in the most need of support.”
 
Takatof mobilises people and resources across the UAE to find creative and sustainable solutions for community requirements. Established by Emirates Foundation in 2007, Takatof’s volunteer base now stands at 45,796 and offers young people opportunities to volunteer for humanitarian, social and community programmes.
 
This event gave many Takatof volunteers the chance to meet and work with children with special needs for the first time. One such volunteer was Emirati Amnah Al Nammi, who decided to sign up to play her part in giving back to the community.
 "This is my first time volunteering and I’m so glad I did it," said Al Nammi who plans to enter this year’s Emirates Award for Arabian Gulf Youth with her social enterprise targeted towards helping children with special needs.

“The family fun day is about promoting awareness and integration.” She added.  “We need to understand the challenges children with special needs face. It is our duty to help them and give them the chance to become more integrated into society. 
 
“Today’s event has taught me a lot. I have learned to be more patient with people and now I feel even more enthusiastic about helping others in the community.”
 
Days such as this are important to help children develop social skills and interact with other children, said Marita J Flaaten, a teacher who supervises nine girls at Future Centre for special needs. The centre teaches social and practical skills through one on one sessions to help them integrate into the community.
"At the Future Centre for special needs we have children with many different conditions ranging from Downe’s Syndrome to behavioral problems. It's fantastic for these children to have a chance to play and interact and activities like the ones we had today help with positive reinforcement," she said.
 
Children from the Gulf Autism Centre were also present at the fun day. Amera Osman, a supervisor at the centre for the past nine years, said the event helped autistic children develop their communication skills.
 
“The UAE has come a long way in a very short space of time,” said Osman. “We have many organisations such as Takatof that are going to great lengths to help children with special needs. Autistic children prefer to be alone but little by little, they can learn to enjoy these kinds of experiences. 
 
“The children absolutely loved the entertainment and it was the perfect environment for them. We feel very grateful to the organisers for inviting us.”