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IT’S all hands on deck this week as big-hearted individuals from across the kingdom are coming together to renovate The Friendship Society for the Blind’s (FSB) nursery.
The initiative is being led by youth-led humanitarian non-governmental organisation Ayadi Relief.
Ayadi had launched a Ramadan initiative entitled ‘Ent Tegdar’ - which translates in English to ‘You Can’ - in 2021 to expand the notion of giving and encouraging acts of kindness. During the first season, it aided 36 Bahraini families and received a total of BD75,481 in donations.
This year, their target donation, which will be used to renovate homes and schools as well as sponsor special needs children and fund education for under-privileged students, is BD150,000, of which BD84,000 has already been raised.
“This initiative aspires to change the lives of Bahraini families through educational and housing projects. Their stories were showcased visually and audibly in our booth in City Centre Bahrain, along with both Ayadi and City Centre Bahrain’s Instagram pages,” said Jumana Jaafar Alderazi, an Ayadi Relief project manager.
One of the cases showcased during this year’s Ramadan Campaign was the nursery of The Friendship Society for the Blind nursery, which needs to be renovated.
“When we visited different schools and centres during our Ramadan Campaign, we found that the nursery needed a lot of attention,” said Jumana. “This nursery isn’t just preparing these students for integration into other schools, it’s also grooming them for the world at large. Their goal is to enhance the capabilities of children with visual impairments and empower them with tools to fight the challenges they will face while growing up.
“We decided to renovate this place because these children are the future of our country. The more we help, the more sustainable it will be in the long run.”
The generous group presented the case to the National Bank of Bahrain (NBB) who were keen to be a part of the renovations and donated BD12,000 for the project.
The renovation project, which is expected to be completed in six to eight weeks, includes 10 volunteers from Ayadi Relief, NBB and SWYAABH (Ship for World Youth Alumni Association Bahrain).
“The team will also be responsible for raising funds for the furniture, fixtures and fittings, raising awareness of the services that FSB provides to our community for free and how children and adults with visual impairments and blindness navigate the world,” explained Jumana. “We have been in talks with the nursery to find out how we can better serve them.”
According to Rabab Alaradhi, a teacher at the nursery, Ayadi have their hands full as they are embarking on the renovation project from ground zero.
“This school has been around since 1991 and it will be the first time the nursery will get renovated,” she said. “That is why we are so thankful to Ayadi, NBB and SWYAABH. We are excited to see the end result and will support them in any way we can.”
There are around 10 children at the nursery, aged three to six, and four certified teachers preparing them for all aspects of life.
“After the age of six, they are integrated into government schools and when they leave our nursery, we make sure they are equipped with all the skills they need and can read and write,” added Rabab.
Ayadi recently invited members of the media to tour the facilities and meet the hardworking teachers and adorable students.
“The nursery is run-down with cracks in the ceiling which has resulted in water leakage,” explained Jumana. “Its classrooms including the physiotherapy room also lack components and tools that aid their educational progression. Their nursery needs more light, their bathroom and kitchen needs work and we plan to create an events hall for them by transforming the outdoor rooms into one large events hall.”
They will also convert part of their outside space into storage and fix up their playground.
While this will enrich the lives of the teachers and students alike, it is already warming the hearts of the volunteers such as NBB’s Dana Alqassim who is thankful to be able to give back to the community.
For details, follow @ayadi_relief and @fsblind on Instagram.
