UAE students as young as 10 sell handmade candles, donate money to orphans, families in need

A group of young female students have come together to utilise their craft-making skills for charitable causes. The students from Al Manar Model School for Girls create crochet items and candles, and donate all the profits to charities.

The students held their first exhibition under the name Al Maha Charity Project, which garnered significant support from both students and teachers, leading to the event's success. "We decided to donate all the money to orphans and those in need, which is the main goal of our project," 10-year-old student Laila Younis emphasised.

Sheikha Al Ghawi, a 14-year-old student, explained how the project started: "Initially, we received support from our families. Then, we presented our idea to our teachers, who organised workshops and taught us how to make candles using moulds to create various shapes."

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"We initiated the project at school with the help of the entire school community," Hour Salah, a 12-year-old student, stressed.

Over time, the project also helped students enhance their communication skills as they sold products at their booth. "The project improved our ability to connect with people and increased our understanding of trade. We became more aware of different preferences, which inspired us to create various candle designs with various scents," 11-year-old Yara Mohammed said.

The students participated in the Reach Festival last week at the Mohammed bin Rashid Library, where they received support and funding from the Sawaed Al Khair Association under the patronage of Sheikha Fatima bint Hashr.

"The charitable project was the idea of the students from the Red Crescent team, whom we have now named 'gaimt ataa', which means the Giving Cloud Team. They brought the items needed to implement the project themselves. They insisted on not taking any profits to help set up the exhibition," Samira Al Junaibi, a teacher, said.

"We have an activity period where students can pursue their hobbies, and the students chose to focus on science, which led to the development of this project." The students would spend time in the lab, mixing different elements together to form a candle.

"This initiative is also an excellent opportunity for students to learn about entrepreneurship. We have been promoting entrepreneurship for years and continue to develop it year after year," she added. "A person does not need to wait until university to start a project; they can begin at a young age and grow their skills over time."