UAE | General
Awareness day for children with special needs to raise Dh500,000
A special day for children with special needs titled 'Reaching u' will be held next month.
- Staff Report
- Published: 00:28 April 10, 2008
Dubai: A special day for children with special needs titled 'Reaching u' will be held next month.
Held under the patronage of Princess Haya Bint Al Hussain, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the u-concept and its founder Nick Watson seeks participation of residents in the event on May 10.
Fundraiser
The aim is to raise awareness and acceptance of children with special needs and raise Dh500,000.
The first part of the campaign is a Fun Day at Jumeirah Park from 2pm to 6pm. The park will turn into an activity ground with bouncy castles, obstacle courses, games, face and henna painting, large format canvas painting, clowns and lots of other fun activities for the children.
The day will raise money for a mobile climbing wall, which will be used to continue the campaign's work with children with special needs, allowing them to transport the rock wall tower to the schools and enabling the children to experience the exhilaration of climbing.
Entrance to Jumeirah Park for people with special needs will be free.
One does not often come across them in our daily lives but there are about 5,400 to 10,800 children with special needs in Dubai alone and the numbers are growing.
Reversing a trend
Watson has decided to do something about the trend. Himself the father of a child with special needs, he has started a campaign that he hopes will create more awareness and acceptance of children with special needs among the residents.
"Not everybody is aware what it means caring for children with special needs. In Dubai's society it is easy to forget because people think the government takes care of them," he said.
Share this article
More from UAE General
More from UAE
Popular in UAE
-
Your pictures
Readers' pictures
A Selection of the best Gulf News reader pictures this week
Latest news
- National Day decorations
- Girl dies in fire started by stepbrother
- A road that is best avoided
- Dubai to introduce 900km of cycling lanes
- Motorists, pedestrians urged to be more careful
- Security services work round-the-clock
- Tougher policing brings down Dubai road fatalities
- Dubai to open seven new parks
- 'I want to show anyone can celebrate'
- UAE National Day: Preparations in full swing
- Universities celebrate UAE National Day
- Brothers' triple success
- Reviving age-old craftsmanship
- Youth reconnect with history
- Fatima: UAE's women are exercising full rights
Community Reports
-
A road that is best avoided
Thoroughfare connecting capital's Hamdan Street and Electra Street poses safety and health hazards
-
Please don't use two parking spaces
Thoughtless drivers means other motorists are losing out in a city where places to leave cars are often hard to find
-
School buses must do safe drop-offs
Some bus drivers let students off at the wrong side of the road
-
Munching on a health hazard
Residents must be careful about consuming snacks and sandwiches prepared along the roadside as they attract dirt and bacteria
