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Special Needs Children Prepare Giant Love Note for Shaikh Mohammed

DUBAI - The Ruler’s gesture in helping children worldwide has drawn a very special kind of response from children with special needs here in Dubai.

“I love you so much Abu Rashid, I want to visit you...” With these simple words, 12-year-old Nassim, a girl with special needs, addressed His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at a media launch for a unique initiative, on Monday.

Nassim, from the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre, along with hundreds of other special needs children from the other centres across the UAE, will be part of a giant special love note, perhaps the ‘biggest’ in the world.

The love note will be addressed to Shaikh Mohammed, as a token of gratitude for his humanitarian services.

“The love note, which will carry the title ‘You love us, so we love you’, is a gesture of thanks to the Dubai Ruler for his relentless support of people with special needs,” Shaikh Juma Al Maktoum, acting chairman of Rashid Centre said.

The Rashid Centre took the initiative which was endorsed by the government’s special needs centres,” he said.

Children from more than 40 special needs centres will be part of the effort which they will deliver during a procession from Rashid Centre to Zabeel Palace in December.

According to Diaa Al Jameel, head of the organising committee at Al Diaa for Media Production, the timing coincides with the celebrations of the UAE National Day, Dubai’s Ruler’s accession day and the World Day for the Disabled.

“Love Note or Resalat Hob is a 12 square metre piece of genuine leather with the words written in gold,” she said.

On the sidelines of this initiative, there will be other activities as well including the competition for the love note. It can be expressed in poetry, prose or painting with the deadline being November 7. A ceremony will be held on November 30 to honour the children and sponsors of the project.

A golden record that includes notes sent by children with special needs as well as signatures of other people is also being made.

Symposiums and seminars are also being organised.

The note is a special response to Shaikh Mohammed’s charity campaigns — Dubai Cares and Noor Dubai — targeting the education of 1 million needy children and the treatment of visually impaired children worldwide.

mary@khaleejtimes.com