SHARJAH// A group of orphans enjoyed a day to remember at Dubai Creek Park thanks to kindhearted university students from Sharjah.
More than 60 volunteers from Mubadara, the Arabic word for “initiative”, accompanied the orphans and children from poor families in Sharjah and Ajman.
The children’s day began at Sharjah University, where each was introduced to a volunteer who would look after them.
Raghad, 10, enjoyed her day with her new friend Fatina Sadeq, a second-year student.
“I spent my day playing. I jumped into a bin bag and tried to run a race,” said Raghad. Fatina, 19, a Palestinian who has been volunteering with Mubadara for a year, said: “This is the second time I have been out on a trip with the orphans. You can’t imagine how much I am enjoying this.
“Doing these activities bring a warm feeling in my heart. At the end of the day I go home knowing I helped in putting a smile on the face of young child.”
The children were aged between five and 15 and came from countries such as Yemen, Syria, Pakistan, India and Oman.
Civil engineering student Mahmod Taha was a first-time volunteer who joined Mubadara through Facebook.
He befriended 3-year-old Ahmad from Syria. Although at first it was difficult for Ahmad to connect, the two made friends.
“The boy was quiet during the ride to the park. We had breakfast here and then we started playing together,” Mahmod said.
Jehad Alblushi, a 9-year-old boy from Ajman, played cops-and-robbers with his mentor.
“I played lots of games with other kids here, it was really fun. I hope we can come here again,” he said.
Fatima Al Swiedy, 20, an Emirati who is studying renewable energy technology, has been a Mubadara volunteer for two years.
“We have around 20 new Emirati volunteers today. It’s a very good sign, but we hope more join us,” she said.
Jehad Ismail, one of the founders of Mubadara, said the original plan for the outing was to have 30 children and 30 volunteers.
“However, a lot of children requested to come on the trip so we doubled the numbers,” he said.
Mubadara was founded in 2012 when friends from Sharjah University and the American University of Sharjah decided they wanted to help the community.
“Over the past three years, we had around 4,000 volunteers doing activities with us,” Mr Ismail said.
tzriqat@thenational.ae
