If you've stepped out of your house for essentials, you may have noticed a new creative phenomenon: drawings and paintings of rainbows appearing in the windows of local homes.
If the array of kaleidoscopic works have left you feeling perplexed, the reason is rather heartwarming.
They are the work of children who want to spread a little joy and say thank you to key workers around the world battling the coronavirus.
The campaign originally started in Italy, the European country worst-hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. The signs originally had the slogan "andra tutto bene", which translates to "everything is going to be OK".
Dubai schoolgirl Darcey Isolina Zagalsky, 9, has been spearheading the campaign to get colour into the windows of UAE homes.
She explains in a video, shared with The National by her family: "It's about spreading hope and positivity [which is] needed now.
"Create your own rainbow with your family and write in your own language, ‘Everything is going to be OK’."
Darcey's mother, Chiara Sarzi Amade, told The National that her daughter hoped children around the country would take part.
"Darcey was inspired by the Italian kids who have been making rainbows to spread positivity and hope," she said. "Darcey is keen for this initiative to be embraced in the UAE and have all the kids to create their own rainbow and share with their communities."
Amade is from Lombardy, the area of Italy worst-hit by Covid-19. She added: "Darcey's grandparents are 77 and 81 years old and this age is at high-risk, so they have not gone out for the last six weeks, not even to the supermarket because they can’t take any risks."
Rainbows around the world
The campaign has been widely shared on social media, and there are rainbows popping up in homes around the UAE, including in The Greens, Dubai:
And children from the Sunmarke School in Jumeirah Village Triangle, Dubai, have also been getting involved:
However, the campaign isn't limited to the UAE and Italy.
Colourful rainbows have appeared everywhere – from England:
To New York City:
And Brussels:
All essential workers deserve support in these times. From the medical teams working tirelessly, to the delivery drivers making sure people receive essential items, people who have been cleaning our streets and those working round-the-clock in supermarkets to keep the store shelves stocked (and clean).
MATCH INFO
FA Cup fifth round
Chelsea v Manchester United, Monday, 11.30pm (UAE), BeIN Sports
THE SPECS
Touareg Highline
Engine: 3.0-litre, V6
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Power: 340hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh239,312
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Normal People
Sally Rooney, Faber & Faber
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Plan to boost public schools
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Aspects of the school model will be extended to international private schools, the education minister has previously suggested.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.