Dubai students share boxes of love for Rohingyas

Emirates Red Crescent officials receive the cartons from the students during the National Day celebrations at The Kindergarten Starters in Dubai.

The best way to teach generosity is to model it and tiny tots of The Kindergarten Starters (KGS) school marked the 46th UAE National Day celebrations by expressing their compassion to the 'forgotten people' - Rohingyas. The students packed and donated over 100 cartons of relief material, along with Emirates Red Crescent (ERC) officials, conveying the message that in the Year of Giving we are closing with a tribute to this nation and its visionary leaders.
 Over 5,000 students contributed and packed with their own hands blankets, mosquito nets, tinned food and other utility items that they handed over to the ERC officials who visited the school on Wednesday as part of the school's National Day celebrations.
 Students handed over the carotns to the ERC officials during ae special school assembly held to mark the National Day celebrations.
 Asha Alexander, principal of KGS, said: "Although our target was 100 cartons, the response of the students, staff and parents was so overwhelming that we have extended the collection date and have exceeded our set target already." Talking about the contribution, Alexander said: "Every National Day, our students gather and celebrate the day by making formations of the flag of UAE, map of UAE or even the letters U.A.E.
 "But today's formation is made from the hearts of our students and their parents. This is the love and generosity of 5,300 children and their families given to the displaced and much persecuted Rohingyas."
 Encouraging and lauding the students' efforts, Alexander said: "Today's formation of your hearts (which although is not visible) will touch the life of someone somewhere far away in Bangladesh."
 Explaining how they educated KG students about the plight of the displaced Rohingyas, Alexander said: "We prepared a small documentary on the Rohingyas for our students and asked the little ones to empathise and imagine how would they feel if they didn't have a place to stay."
 Lauding the efforts of the school, Emirates Red Crescent representative Rashid Ali Al Yammahy said: "I would like to congratulate the school for doing this wonderful job of making children aware of the situation of Rohingyas and encouraging them to be generous. These are the real values the UAE stands for and celebrates on our National Day."
The celebrations continued for a couple of hours with the students, staff as well as Red Crescent officials singing the National Anthem of the UAE repeatedly and waving the country's flags.
 saman@khaleejtimes.com