Al Salam Community School organised an event to raise money for victims in Gaza. Photo: Al Salam Community School
Al Salam Community School organised an event to raise money for victims in Gaza. Photo: Al Salam Community School
Al Salam Community School organised an event to raise money for victims in Gaza. Photo: Al Salam Community School
Al Salam Community School organised an event to raise money for victims in Gaza. Photo: Al Salam Community School

Palestinian pupil tells of pride as Dubai school raises Dh35,000 for Gaza


Anam Rizvi
  • English
  • Arabic

Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza

A Palestinian pupil has told of his pride after his Dubai school raised Dh35,000 in only four hours to support embattled people in conflict-hit Gaza.

Al Salam Community School celebrated the culture, art and food of Palestine on Friday to help bring in crucial funds for the UAE's ongoing Gaza aid campaign.

Yara Sheiko, 14, said the initiative was an important way to raise awareness of the humanitarian crisis brought on by the Israel-Gaza war.

“As a Palestinian, I'm very proud and honoured that this was a success. We felt the need to spread awareness and to help raise money for this cause,” he told The National.

“Everyone in Gaza is my family. I felt that Friday was a great platform to share my culture as a Palestinian.

“It means a lot that this school helped raise more than Dh35,000 by setting up donation boxes and giving us the opportunity to volunteer and organise them.”

Kifaya Khan, principal of the school, said they worked closely with The Emirates Red Crescent and the Ministry of Islamic Affairs to support the Tarahum for Gaza campaign, which translates in English as Compassion for Gaza.

“We have a significant proportion of our community that has been directly affected by the events in Palestine and we wanted to support the people in Gaza,” Mr Khan told The National.

“More than 700 people from our school joined those from the wider community to attend the event.

“We ensured that it was held with dignity despite the wider sombre context.”

The occasion was ticketed, with the school organising arts and crafts workshops, stalls, activities, and food.

People could purchase individual tickets for Dh30 or family tickets for Dh100.

Parents at Al Salam Community School sold traditional items at the event organised on Friday.
Parents at Al Salam Community School sold traditional items at the event organised on Friday.

Mr Khan said the school’s pupils proposed the idea while parents led proceedings on the day. He added that organisers wanted to extend the work done by senior pupils in October after they were praised for leading the drive for donations.

He added that the event had raised an amount “beyond target” and the response had been “overwhelming”.

“We’ve been raising money through other channels, and it's been nowhere near the same amount,” Mr Khan added.

“This was an overwhelming response from our community and we didn't expect the event to be so successful.

“Credit goes to everyone for supporting it. There was definitely a wider feeling of wanting to help out and to be involved.”

At the event, restaurants sold food and donated profits to the Emirates Red Crescent, while workshops were also organised.

There was a stall dedicated to Tatreez, the traditional Palestinian embroidery, with a table showcasing its different forms and a workshop organised for children. There was also a session for bracelet-making.

Sarah Khawaja, a Jordanian mother of a nine-year-old and four-year-old pupil at the school, said the event highlighted Palestinian heritage and culture.

“It showcased the beauty of the country while at the same time raising funds,” she said.

“We had poetry being recited by children talking about Palestine and its beauty.”

UAE Gaza aid campaign - in pictures

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BRIEF SCORES:

Toss: Nepal, chose to field

UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23

Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17

Result: UAE won by 21 runs

Series: UAE lead 1-0

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

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.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics

 

MATCH DETAILS

Barcelona 0

Slavia Prague 0

Squads

Sri Lanka Tharanga (c), Mathews, Dickwella (wk), Gunathilaka, Mendis, Kapugedera, Siriwardana, Pushpakumara, Dananjaya, Sandakan, Perera, Hasaranga, Malinga, Chameera, Fernando.

India Kohli (c), Dhawan, Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Rahane, Jadhav, Dhoni (wk), Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Thakur.

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Afro%20salons
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Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction

Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.

Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.

Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.

Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.

Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.

What are the guidelines?

Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.

Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.

Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.

Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.

Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.

Source: American Paediatric Association
GAC GS8 Specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh149,900

Emirates Cricket Board Women’s T10

ECB Hawks v ECB Falcons

Monday, April 6, 7.30pm, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

The match will be broadcast live on the My Sports Eye Facebook page

 

Hawks

Coach: Chaitrali Kalgutkar

Squad: Chaya Mughal (captain), Archara Supriya, Chamani Senevirathne, Chathurika Anand, Geethika Jyothis, Indhuja Nandakumar, Kashish Loungani, Khushi Sharma, Khushi Tanwar, Rinitha Rajith, Siddhi Pagarani, Siya Gokhale, Subha Srinivasan, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish

 

Falcons

Coach: Najeeb Amar

Squad: Kavisha Kumari (captain), Almaseera Jahangir, Annika Shivpuri, Archisha Mukherjee, Judit Cleetus, Ishani Senavirathne, Lavanya Keny, Mahika Gaur, Malavika Unnithan, Rishitha Rajith, Rithika Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Shashini Kaluarachchi, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Vaishnave Mahesh

 

 

Who has been sanctioned?

Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.

Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.

Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.

Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.

Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED

Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.

Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.

The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.

The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.

A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.

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Updated: November 16, 2023, 9:26 AM`