FUJAIRAH // Parents are concerned about the lack of summer activities and camps for children in the emirate.
In an area with a population of about 150,000, a figure that is growing by 5,000 a year, there is only one amusement centre, in Fujairah Tower, and two indoor play areas, at Fujairah City Centre mall and Century Mall.
Yousef Alamari, a 12-year-old Emirati boy, said: “I like to spend my time playing with my iPad, I sometimes meet my friends at the mall to eat and maybe watch a movie, but I always prefer going out of Fujairah in the summer because there is nothing to do here.”
Mubarak Al Aseel and his wife Suad, who have three children, agreed that there was not much for their children to do in the emirate.
“We have only two indoor kids’ playgrounds in Fujairah and visiting them during the summer is the biggest mistake any parent could ever make,” said Mr Al Aseel.
“They are always crowded due to the huge number of children in the emirate and the lack of places. Most of the weekends we stay at one of the hotels in the area, where the children can use the kids club and the swimming pool, while the rest of the weekdays they do almost nothing – either they are watching TV or fighting with each other.”
Syrian mother Eman Aatta, 35, also has three children. She said: “I heard that there is a children’s centre that provides summer activities and events for kids in Dibba and Khor Fakkan and I wish that they would open one here in Fujairah.
“My children spend their entire time on tablets playing games and watching cartoons. Most of the time I feel sad for them and I know that they are wasting their time instead of being out playing and building their personalities.
“When I was their age, I used to play outside all the time with my friends, but here, the weather is very hot, especially at summer time. Sometimes in the evening I take them to the park but children these days get bored easily and they need something new once in a while.”
Childcare specialist Samera Adel said a lack of activities could not only affect a child’s body development but their brain development too.
“Every child deserves an outstanding summer to succeed in school and life,” she said. “They need ongoing opportunities to learn and practise essential skills, especially during the summer months. But here in Fujairah it’s very hard for parents to find schools or institutions that provide such services.
“Instead of running, jumping, building and drawing, kids end up spending most of their time either watching TV or playing with their tablets. This will definitely affect their personality, body and brain development.”
Many families feel they have to take their children to other emirates to find activities for them.
Umm Saif, an Emirati mother of four, said: “Every summer I try to find a camp to register them but it’s very hard to find something like that in Fujairah, therefore I have to take them to Dubai every weekend to participate in one of the kids’ activities there.”
Ahlam Khalil, 37, an Egyptian mother of two, said there were some school summer camps but it was not enough. “It’s not throughout the whole week, it’s just for one or two days during the week and only for a couple of hours,” she said.
“I tried them last year but this year me and my two boys are going to stay at my sister’s house in Dubai for about one month or more. I have no other choice.”
Officials have suggested the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development’s My Country’s Summer project as one outlet for children this summer.
Latifa Al Faraj, director of Social and Cultural Centres at the ministry, said: “Eight years ago the ministry and the General Authority for Youth and Sports Welfare launched My Country’s Summer project.
“This national project provides integrated programmes, investing in talent through cultural, social, sports, scientific and artistic activities, which aims to inculcate the values inherent to preserve the national identity. This year the project will start after Eid Al Fitr at the Fujairah Cultural Centre, for the period of one month targeting students from 7 to 18 years.”
The director general of Fujairah Municipality, Mohammed Al Afkham, in May mentioned working with investors to create a water park in the Women and Children’s Park. But when asked for comment on summer activities for children, the municipality referred The National to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Community Development.
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