Kalimat Foundation launches UAE school campaign to strengthen giving, support children's access to books

Sharjah: Kalimat Foundation, the non-profit organisation dedicated to providing books and knowledge resources to underserved children, refugees and children with visual impairments, has launched a UAE school campaign to engage private school students in supporting reading and humanitarian work, with its first activation held at Emirates National Schools (ENS), Sharjah Campus.

The first activation saw ENS students from different age groups and school sections organise a charity bazaar, raising more than Dh40,000 in support of Kalimat Foundation's 'Pledge a Library' initiative, which provides curated Arabic libraries to children and communities with limited access to books. The bazaar was held in the presence of Fudail Al Ahmad, Cluster Manager - Northern Emirates at ENS, along with teaching and administrative staff.

ENS will continue supporting Kalimat Foundation's efforts through initiatives across its campuses in the UAE, helping expand children's access to knowledge while encouraging students to take part in community and humanitarian work.

The campaign reflects Kalimat Foundation's belief that schools are not only places of learning, but spaces where students can develop a stronger sense of responsibility towards others. Through fundraising and volunteer-led activities, the Foundation aims to connect students with causes that promote reading, access to knowledge and support for children in underserved communities.

The first school engagement highlights what schools can achieve when students are given the opportunity to participate in meaningful humanitarian action. A contribution that begins as a school activity can become a library for a child who has limited access to books, offering them a wider space to learn, express themselves and explore the world around them.

Amna Al Mazmi, Director of Kalimat Foundation, said, "What ENS and its students have done reflects the spirit of this campaign. The students helped organise an initiative that teaches them that giving is a responsible and intentional act, and that its impact can reach children they may never meet, but whose lives they can still touch. We value ENS' support and partnership in strengthening a culture of giving and philanthropy among school students in the UAE."

She added, "Kalimat Foundation believes access to books is a basic right for every child, and should not be defined by geography, economic hardship, displacement or limited educational resources. There are children who have never owned a book, children who have never entered a library, and children who need knowledge resources in their mother tongue to give them confidence, reassurance and the ability to imagine."

Ahmad Al Bastaki, Deputy Director-General of ENS, said, "At ENS, we believe our role extends beyond academic education to building students' character and strengthening their values of giving and social responsibility. We are committed to engaging our students in meaningful initiatives that allow them to learn through action, participation and a deeper understanding of the impact they can have on their communities."

He added, "Kalimat Foundation's initiative gave our students an important opportunity to connect with a humanitarian and cultural cause linked to reading, knowledge and children's right to access books. We are proud of the enthusiasm and teamwork they demonstrated during this charity bazaar, and of their ability to turn their participation into meaningful support for other children."

Through the campaign, Kalimat Foundation aims to expand its network of partnerships with private schools across Sharjah and the UAE, encouraging educational institutions to adopt initiatives that support reading and connect students with humanitarian work. The Foundation also seeks to increase the presence of Arabic books in the lives of children who need them, while providing sustainable knowledge resources that support learning and strengthen their connection to language and culture.

Kalimat Foundation praised the contribution of ENS, including its leadership, teaching staff and students, affirming that school partnerships are an important part of its mission to make reading more accessible to every child and to turn giving into a practice students experience from an early age.

Since its launch, the 'Pledge a Library' initiative has distributed more than 200 portable libraries, benefiting over 100,000 children in 27 countries, in partnership with international institutions and organisations. Each library includes 100 Arabic books selected for different age groups, providing sustainable knowledge resources for schools, centres and communities that need stronger access to reading materials.

Through the initiative, Kalimat Foundation continues to expand access to Arabic books for children in underserved communities through a practical model that enables individuals, institutions and schools to sponsor complete libraries, helping sustain the initiative and deepen its impact in beneficiary communities.