The success of the Fourth Used Book Fair in Sharjah could have been even more
far-reaching with help from sponsors and volunteers, reader says.
The recently concluded Fourth Used Book Fair in Sharjah, organised by the
City for Humanitarian Services, calls for several interesting observations.
The intensive presence of visitors from day one of the fair was highly
motivational to volunteers, who dedicated a lot of time and effort to make
the event a success.
Visiting the fair and keenly following the activities showed that events of
this nature do not normally generate generous sponsors and sponsorships from
organisations. They usually come forward to donate gifts and memorabilia in
abundance when events involve film actors or other celebrities.
It was wonderful to see volunteers forgetting their physical challenges,
carrying books to numerous stalls and neatly displaying them for sale. They
were found competing with each other to showcase their skills in generating
revenue for their own cause.
I wish major organisations take a cue from the collective efforts of the
organisers of this event and the volunteers who made it a success and support
them in the future by coming forward without hesitation in every possible
way.
In addition, I feel a strong need by the respectable authorities to initiate
a nominal 'Social Service Contribution' of say 0.5 per cent to 1 per cent on
ticket costs for events that have a high expense. This could then be made a
mandatory distribution to an established charity fund.
The fund could then be allocated proportionately and utilised for the
day-to-day running of various charity institutions and organisations within
the UAE, who are genuinely in need of more support. This way, everyone will
become contributors to humanitarian causes, willingly or not.
It would also be a good idea to complement the effort of these charity
organisations by providing them reduction in charges on utility services like
telephones, electricity and water bills.
- The reader is a technical officer based in Abu Dhabi
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