Abu Dhabi: Ataya, a charity annual exhibition, will be held for the second time in the capital to provide advanced services and treatment to autistic children within the UAE.
Ataya which means donations, aims to allocate the proceeds of renting the outlets as well as entry ticket sales and donations contributed by attendees, to a charity entity or charitable project.
Under the patronage of Shaikha Shamsa Bint Hamdan Al Nahyan, assistant to the President of Red Crescent Authority for Women’s Affairs, the fair will be held in Abu Dhabi Country Club from May 6-9 to highlight the need to improve the lives of children and adults, who suffer from the disorder so they can lead meaningful and bright life.
“Ataya is not a place where we display our products; however, it is a humanitarian participation to spread awareness across a wide spectrum of people to give young children an opportunity to live a normal life,” said Shaikha Shamsa at a press conference yesterday in the capital.
The higher organising committee of Ataya selected the Children’s Cancer Centre (CCCL) in Lebanon the previous year and collected around Dh7,000,000 to provide health care for all children.
Organised by the Red Crescent Authority, the fair comprises a unique and diverse fashion collection, jewellery, and household accessories.
“Several workshops will be conducted throughout the month of April for parents, who are suspicious about their young children to seek immediate screening for autism,” said Khawla Al Saaedi, the head of the organising committee at Ataya.
“Ataya will be treating children stricken with autism at no charge without discrimination against race or nationality.
Additionally, a selection of 20 employees will be trained outside the UAE for more than one month to get more experience and provide them with the sufficient knowledge to deal with autistic children from different ages and they will be distributed across the UAE,” she added.
Autism is the fastest growing serious developmental disability in the world with approximately 67 million people are affected by it all over the world. More children will be diagnosed with autism than with diabetes or cancer,” said Dr Daniel Gould, chief clinical officer for the New England Centre for Children (NECC).
“We have 700 cases of autistic children across the UAE, in which 332 are nationals and 268 others. Autism is approximately four times more likely to affect boys than girls, thus we are working hard to provide world-class care, treatment and developed services and technologies for children with autism,” said Salem Al Darmaki, undersecretary at the Ministry of Health.
To commemorate the world autism awareness day on April 2, Ataya will conduct workshops to introduce autism disorder and its symptoms, help in understanding the feeling of diagnosed children and support them to integrate into society in a better way.
