Dubai: In a heartwarming tribute to the UAE and its empowerment of women, a new Emirati mum has penned a letter to her first-born child, promising her that the UAE is a land where a girl can actually realise her dreams.
The full letter, a copy of which was provided exclusively to Gulf News ahead of a video release on Emirati Women’s Day on August 28, is touching.
In the letter, Ahlam Bolooki, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Emirates Literature Foundation (ELF), tells her daughter Raya, “Our country, the UAE, has been celebrating the role of women since the day of its union and our ancestors have paved the path to success for us. I promise you, that on the land of our great country, a girl with a dream who tirelessly tries to achieve it, will achieve it.”
Ahlam, who was appointed the foundation’s CEO earlier this year, assumned office when Raya was only three months old. She created a nursery in the office to keep an eye on her first child while she works.
At the time, she had told Gulf News: “This way, I can do my work, but also take the time to hold her when she needs me, take her on walks and read her books in between. She knows I’m always close by and can grow up watching me work on the things I love and care deeply about, which is important to me. She’s also growing up around books.”
In the letter to Raya too, she says, “Mama runs the Emirates Literature Foundation, the place you come with me to every day. Do you know that the joy of working at a job I love is only complete when I see you there, right next to me? And every time, it’s the moment that rekindles my passion and determination to keep on giving.”
Love of books
She talks of the importance of nurturing a love of books when she says, “I work so hard, my love, so that everybody discovers the love of books and reading in the same way that your eyes light up when I read you the story of The Deep Blue Sea. The story that made you, at the age of eight months, love jellyfish, seashells and dugong. I know that because of this, you will grow up to be kind to all creatures of the sea and the world.”
She goes on to tell her daughter that, “A day will come when you will realise how lucky we are to be women. Through motherhood, we give birth to new life, we raise future generations. With our hearts, we spread kindness and compassion. With our hands, we heal pain. With our unwavering resolve, we overcome every challenge. And most importantly, my love, our love is unconditional. And this love is the secret to eternity.”
She tells her that as an Emirati woman, she works wholeheartedly to achieve the vision of her precious country. “God willing, one day you too will contribute to this journey. I named you Raya, so you become a symbol of pride and knowledge and sincerity, to raise the flag of our country high and prosperous in the sky,” she concludes.
