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A private school in the kingdom is giving the gift of comfort to Afghan refugee children travelling through Bahrain in the form of soft and cuddly toys, writes Mai Al Khatib-Camille.
Nadeen School had posted a plea on Instagram requesting people to open their hearts during this devastating time and donate toys to keep Afghan children that have rerouted with their families, feel safe and sound during their transition.
Bahrain has been helping in evacuation efforts of Afghans by allowing flights from Kabul to use Isa Air Base as a transit point.
“When we heard that Afghan evacuees were coming to Bahrain, most of them with no belongings or possessions, we thought about how we could help,” said Shanee Puri, director of Nadeen School, Umm Al Hassam. “At the same time, a call to action was being sent via social media asking for clothes and shoes to be donated.
“I knew that there would be a lot of people willing to donate clothes and shoes and wondered what else we could collect. Knowing that some of the evacuees are children, we thought that we would do something just for them – something more than providing for their basic clothing or hygiene needs.
“That is why we wanted to collect soft toys; to give children something soft to love and hold on to. The mere act of holding something comforting can help to de-escalate anxiety and stress.”
Shanee had launched a similar campaign in 1998-1999 when the war in Kosova displaced thousands of children into camps. She collected enough funds to send more than 4,500 soft toys to children in that area.
“The Afghan evacuee situation reminded me of that,” added Shanee. “When children get caught up in the adult world of war and are always the innocent victims; it’s so heart-breaking.”
Within 48 hours of launching the drive, the school received more than two large car loads of soft toys along with extra bags of clothes, shoes and hygiene items. “We’ve had alumni coming back to donate, parents reaching out on behalf of their corporate CSR programmes and companies donating anonymously towards the collection.”
The school has collected more than 300 toys.
The first round of donations was delivered within 48 hours and the next delivery will be completed mid-week and more on the weekend.
Meanwhile, the school is now also requesting donations of baby wipes, diapers and undergarments for women and children.
All items can be donated to the school in Umm Al Hassam any day this week except on Friday, with a possible extension if need be.
For details, follow @nadeenschool on Instagram.
