Dubai
Abu Dhabi recently announced a five per cent rent cap. The news was received by residents with much joy - a welcome reprieve for their monthly budgets. As people grapple with the cost of living, every dirham matters. So, making wise economic decisions is important, and if that also means helping conserve to build a sustainable environment, all the better for it.
Our first place winner has launched a programme called ‘Book Hero’. It essentially allows school students to exchange books at minimal cost, thereby reducing waste, promoting reuse and recycling. The brainchild of Montserrat Martin, the initiative has seen thousands of children get school books at very low cost and prevent dumping of used material.
She told Gulf News: “We believe that a book’s content is holy and it needs to be shared. We only take school books because education is every child’s basic right.” They buy secondhand books from students that are in good condition and re-sell at as low a sum as Dh10. The money raised is used for animal welfare projects and to acquire more reading material.
So, books that were once finding their way into the dumpster are now being re-used to create an environmentally sound solution. The report detailing this effort was published on November 10, titled ‘Programme to exchange school books in Dubai commendable’.
Second place goes to Mohammad Aarham Faisal for his report, “Pedestrians have no way to cross road in Muweilah”. It was published on November 14. It focused on an issue that has been raised several times in the past by other community reporters - jaywalking. This is a serious problem because as the report stated, pedestrians constitute 22 per cent of all road deaths globally. In many cases, jaywalking is a result of people not wanting to make the extra effort to walk to a pedestrian crossing. But, sometimes it is because they have no other choice. And this report talks about people having to take risks regularly to reach a mosque, as there is no other option available. It definitely needs to be addressed, and we hope that the community report urges the authorities to investigate and take action.
Third place goes to the report by Mohammad Abdul Gaffar, “Betel leaf stains leave a dirty mark on building walls in Sharjah market”. It was published on November 23.
The headline is quite self explanatory. The article talks about the ugly staining of walls because of people spitting chewed betel leaves. Along with being extremely bad public conduct, this also leads to spread of disease and infection. The authorities have issued strict rules on this and betel leaves are banned. Unfortunately, it continues to surface.
Abdul Gaffar specifically raises the problem of “Al Shuwaihean area” of Sharjah. He talks of other problems there too, such as urinating in public and vandalism.
It is terrible that people are not only defacing public property but also creating bad community environments. It is a place that needs urgent attention before it deteriorates further. As said by Abdul Gaffar: “I’m shedding light on these issues to get the necessary attention from the concerned authorities.”
Profiles
First place: Montserrat Martin
Published on November 10, 2016
Montserrat Martin, founder of Book Hero and the Animal Project based in Dubai, believes that community reports not only inform people of issues in their locality, but also “invites people to get involved”.
She said: “It’s a reminder that this is our community, despite race, age and monetary situation.”
After the report about the book exchange programme was published in Gulf News, Martin says that she has been receiving at least 10 calls every week from people asking about it. It was a month-long project, but due to the overwhelming response, Martin says she is in talks with the management of a mall in Dubai, where the event was previously hosted, to continue it further.
“We managed 118 free book exchanges and around 2,000 books were involved in the process. Our target was to offer those with less financial options an alternative to obtain study material. The books also have a longer life now,” she said.
For details about the programme, Martin can be contacted at info@bookhero.in.
Second place: Mohammad Aarham Faisal
Published on November 14, 2016
Mohammad Aarham Faisal, a student based in Sharjah, is glad he got an opportunity to raise awareness regarding an issue in his community and hopes that his message will reach the local authorities.
he said: “I appreciate the platform offered by Gulf News as it also encourages many organisations to increase customer satisfaction. It draws the attention of the authorities to issues that aren’t well known, like dirty staircases and people hanging laundry in their balconies.”
After his report was published, his neighbours commended his efforts to raise awareness and even gave him feedback on his writing and photography skills. He said that they are all now waiting and hoping that some action will be taken to make things more convenient for the residents of this locality.
Third: Mohammad Abdul Gaffar
Published on November 23, 2016
Mohammad Abdul Gaffar, a sales executive based in Sharjah, loves to read the newspaper and has a special connection to it. His father is a retired journalist and so he believes that reporting is “in my blood”.
He said: “Gulf News is doing its best to promote good activities. Even though many of us might have concerns regarding issues in our community, we are never sure how to raise the matter. Community reports are an inspiration for us and allow us to express our thoughts and concerns. It is a great platform to get our messages across to the authorities.”
— Profiles compiled by Rabab Khan, Community Interactivity Editor
