Children put on talent show to keep centre open

Abu Dhabi: Special needs children from an Abu Dhabi based centre will perform tales based on the Arabian 1001 Nights this month in a bid to raise funds for the cash-strapped centre that educates them.

The Special Care Centre (SCC), a special needs centre that caters to middle to low income families, has struggled with financial issues, and hopes the talent night will raise funds for new premises.

"The villa in which the SCC is located now is about to be auctioned any minute, and we will lose our premises," says Isabelle LeBon, head of Good Heart, a foundation set up to help the SCC cope with its fin-ancial crisis.

"There are two other villas around there which will also be auctioned, but we are hoping to bid on the three so we can expand our premises. Each villa will cost about Dh5 million, and we have the added expense of improving the infrastructure, so all in all we are looking at about Dh20 million."

If the money is raised, the SCC will then be able to spread over three villas.

Once secured, the new premises will hold 24 classrooms and specialised units, including an early intervention unit, a vocational and training unit, an occupational therapy unit, and a speech and language therapy unit. The SCC currently caters to 66 students, and has a growing waiting list.

Set to be held on May 18 at the Cultural Foundation, the talent night will feature children from the ages of three to 18, and aims to promote self development with the students of the SCC, and increase awareness about special needs with the Abu Dhabi community.

The talent night sponsors include Daman, Standard Chartered Bank, Great Ideas Advertising, Crowne Plaza hotel, the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH), Adco, Nama Ltd., Structure IT Solutions, UTS Consultants and Gulf News. The Emirates Foundation acts as the SCC's philanthropic arm.

Programme to raise awareness

Give Hands, an Abu Dhabi-based non-profit organisation, is also gearing up to raise funds for the Special Care Centre (SCC) on May 25.

Set to be held at the National Theatre, the event will be a dance programme performed by dancers from India, the Thillana Thillana Gautham group, and a music programme by Tunes&Tones from Abu Dhabi.

"We are organising this for the sake of the children belonging to the SCC in Abu Dhabi," says Dr Subbulakshmi Bala, founder of Give Hands.

"The event will raise awareness on disability while raising funds for special needs children living here. All Proceeds will go to the SCC."

Currently, Give Hands provides sponsorships for underprivileged children to join professional colleges, volunteers services for special needs care centres, provides consultations for adoption, and participates in relief aid during natural disasters.