Pupils at a school in Abu Dhabi helped a young orphan girl become economically independent and a village of 800 people in Nepal improve their standard of living.
For their efforts, the 22 pupils from years 11 to 13 at British School Al Khubairat won the British Schools in the Middle East's Race4Good competition.
The aim of the competition, which was open to British schools throughout the Middle East, is to improve the quality of life of the people living in Yangsijung, a rural community in Nepal that was badly affected by an earthquake in 2015.
It just shows how you don't need loads of money to make a difference in people's lives
Sam Matthews,
Year 12 pupil, British School Al Khubairat
Pupils worked their way through a series of challenges, communicated with elders in the community in Yangsijung and developed ideas to help them.
The Abu Dhabi school's winning solutions were implemented in the village within days.
Each child who participated in the competition paid Dh350 to take part. In total, they were given a budget of just under Dh3,000 (£600) for the three-week competition, which started at the end of September.
Sam Matthews, 17, a Year 12 British pupil at the school who participated in the event, said: “Having won the competition, it just shows how you don't need loads of money to make a difference in people's lives.
“It took us three weeks and we were able to change 800 people's lives for years to come."
Improved quality of life
As a part of the competition, the pupils had to come up with a solution to improve the quality of life of Kipa, 18, who was orphaned at the age of 13.
The pupils bought Kipa a goat and chickens so that she could sell eggs and milk and increase her income.
They also helped by renovating her house, which had been damaged by the earthquake.
Dimitra Karachaliou, 16, a Greek Year 12 pupil at the school, said they received a rundown of her daily life, how much money Kipa spent every month and where she worked.
"From that, we tried to find a way to economically uplift her. For her housing, we tried to make that better for her. We tried to give her a better job to provide her with more money," Dimitra said.
A Race4Good worker in Nepal helped to bring the pupil's plans to life and sent videos of their concepts being put into place.
For the education challenge, they realised that pupils did not have anything proper to write on and that their classrooms were very cold in the winter.
The pupils provided them with sticky-back plastic that could be stuck on their desks so they could be wiped clean and used repeatedly.
They also donated whiteboards and erasers so they could work at their desks.
To keep the classrooms warm in the winter, they came up with a solution to insulate the classroom with cardboard and tin foil, and then paint the bricks black, which gives them better heat absorption.
Dasnula Ratnayake, 16, a Year 12 Sri Lankan pupil at the school who worked on the project, said: “It was very heart-warming and emotional to see the videos, and when we did see the end result, it was thrilling for us.
"We could see children helping out – planting the herbs and spices – and see that eventually, down the line, this is going to have a massive impact on the community.
“This cannot be taught through a textbook or in a classroom. It needs to be done for you to learn from it."
Sustainable solutions
During the final round of the competition, the pupils had to find sustainable solutions to raise the standard of living for the entire village, which is in a remote area of Nepal.
The team provided herbs and spices because these are in high demand and could be grown and sold in the area for a considerable profit.
After discussions with community elders, the team also bought coffee seeds, with the long-term plan of selling these for a profit in the future.
Alreem Al Ahbabi, 17, a Year 12 Emirati pupil at the school, said: "Although we had a tiny amount of time to make these challenges, we had to find a way to solve really big problems, such as in education, where we helped improve a school, and uplifting the health care, where we implemented midwifery."
On Wednesday, Dr Amir Jafri, Race4Good chief executive, visited British School Al Khubairat to give the prize to the pupils.
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
Winner: AF Makerah, Adrie de Vries, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap | Dh80,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Hazeme, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Handicap | Dh85,000 | 2,200m
Winner: AF Yatroq, Brett Doyle, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Shadwell Farm for Private Owners Handicap | Dh70,000 | 2,200m
Winner: Nawwaf KB, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh100,000 | 1,600m
Winner: Treasured Times, Bernardo Pinheiro, Rashed Bouresly
1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List
James Mustich, Workman
Dr Graham's three goals
Short term
Establish logistics and systems needed to globally deploy vaccines
Intermediate term
Build biomedical workforces in low- and middle-income nations
Long term
A prototype pathogen approach for pandemic preparedness
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Five hymns the crowds can join in
Papal Mass will begin at 10.30am at the Zayed Sports City Stadium on Tuesday
Some 17 hymns will be sung by a 120-strong UAE choir
Five hymns will be rehearsed with crowds on Tuesday morning before the Pope arrives at stadium
‘Christ be our Light’ as the entrance song
‘All that I am’ for the offertory or during the symbolic offering of gifts at the altar
‘Make me a Channel of your Peace’ and ‘Soul of my Saviour’ for the communion
‘Tell out my Soul’ as the final hymn after the blessings from the Pope
The choir will also sing the hymn ‘Legions of Heaven’ in Arabic as ‘Assakiroo Sama’
There are 15 Arabic speakers from Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in the choir that comprises residents from the Philippines, India, France, Italy, America, Netherlands, Armenia and Indonesia
The choir will be accompanied by a brass ensemble and an organ
They will practice for the first time at the stadium on the eve of the public mass on Monday evening
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
COMPANY PROFILE
Initial investment: Undisclosed
Investment stage: Series A
Investors: Core42
Current number of staff: 47
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Real Sociedad v Eibar (5pm), Real Betis v Villarreal (7.15pm), Elche v Granada (9.30pm), Barcelona v Levante (midnight)
Monday Celta Vigo v Cadiz (midnight)
World Cup warm up matches
May 24 Pakistan v Afghanistan, Bristol; Sri Lanka v South Africa, Cardiff
May 25 England v Australia, Southampton; India v New Zealand, The Oval
May 26 South Africa v West Indies, Bristol; Pakistan v Bangladesh, Cardiff
May 27 Australia v Sri Lanka, Southampton; England v Afghanistan, The Oval
May 28 West Indies v New Zealand, Bristol; Bangladesh v India, Cardiff
