The true spirit of giving

BIG-HEARTED school children have rallied to support GulfWeekly’s Christmas appeal to provide essential winter supplies to refugees who have fled war-torn Syria to live in camps across neighbouring countries.

We are asking our readers to open their hearts over the festive period and as they prepare to celebrate National Day and mark Accession Day.

Our campaign is simple … we are appealing for blankets and socks to ensure desperate families living under basic tented shelter do not freeze to death during the coming weeks.

GulfWeekly has teamed up with DHL, the world’s leading express delivery and logistics company with regional headquarters in Bahrain, who will endeavour to deliver the first supplies by Christmas morning.

St Christopher’s Cathedral in Manama and Bahrain Rugby Football Club in Janabiya have offered to act as collection points for donations.

Now schools across the island are also backing the initiative with students, teachers and parents showing the true Christmas spirit of giving.

The first to step forward was the Multinational School-Bahrain (MNS-B) in Adliya and it was swiftly followed by the British School of Bahrain (BSB) in Hamala and St Christopher’s School in Saar.

“The Student Council at the Multinational School has decided that it wishes to support a range of Bahraini and regional charities and groups this academic year,” explained Principal Andrew Leslie.

“Many of our families have connections or roots in the region and have been touched by the conflict and, as such, the students have been moved to work with GulfWeekly and DHL to support this great initiative. It’s all part of our effort to support and encourage the student voice at MNS-B.”

The school, which in recent months has blossomed from an institute with only 40 students to one catering for more than 500 pupils, has opened its Adliya campus to accept donations of blankets and socks.

BSB’s head of senior school Khalil Ahmed said its pupils and members of staff also wanted to help after reading about the campaign in last week’s issue, particularly its Sixth Form Charity Committee. “As an international school with more than 70 different nationalities we are very aware of the global issues facing people in Syria,” he added. “The students and staff are very keen to show their support. Let’s all join together to give something that can perhaps alleviate a little suffering in this world.”

And, St Christopher’s reception teacher and charity champion Alyaa Bataineh, who has helped with previous GulfWeekly campaigns as well as launching her own initiatives in aid of refugees, was this week also rallying support in the community.

Back in January, it was reported how the misery of millions of refugees who have fled war-torn Syria to live in tent cities across neighbouring countries got a lot worse, after bad weather paralysed the region with freezing temperatures, strong winds and a massive snow storm.

Millions fleeing Syria’s four-year-old civil war have created an international refugee crisis, and many now face another battle of survival against the elements.

The aim is to be able to deliver warmth and support and perhaps some hope that things will get better. One person can’t change the world, but you can change the world for one person. Please bring blankets and socks to St Christopher’s Cathedral in Manama and Bahrain Rugby Football Club in Janabiya or any of the participating schools by December 20.