Orphans fit in at Family Village

Hala Alabam, director of social support, Orphans Family Village, Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation, said the centre encouraged the orphans to look beyond their lives in the village. Reem Mohammed / Show more

Dh150m learning centre in Al Warqa for youngsters in need of emotional support and guidance has proven a great success since opening in June in helping vulnerable children find their feet in the world.

DUBAI // The Family Village has been a much-needed oasis of calm and care for dozens of vulnerable children over the past year.

The Dh150 million centre, consisting of 16 villas and run by the Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation, offers a healthy environment for orphans from across the UAE.

There are 33 youngsters living in the village, aged between three months and 18 years, each cared for by a “mother” and an “aunt” who make life as normal and as comfortable as possible.

Each dedicated caregiver is provided with practical training to fill the family roles.

The village in Al Warqa is supported by charitable donations from across the UAE and was officially inaugurated by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, in June last year.

The village is well supplied with the amenities a young person needs to keep active and healthy with playgrounds, study rooms and tutors.

However, there is no swimming pool or sports field, because staff want the children in their care to leave the village so they do not isolated inside their mini-community.

“We want them to go out and be involved with others,” said Hala Alabam, director of social support.

Working so closely with the orphans, the staff develop a close bond and involve them in extracurricular activities at the weekends with their own families and even trips aboard.

But there can be problems, as is to be expected from children with unsettled backgrounds, said Ms Alabam.

“I cannot claim that this is a perfect happy city where we are all living in harmony. There are negative behaviours like lying, stealing, rebelliousness, that we still suffer.

“You are taking a seed that was not in good soil and trying to enrol it in one, so it requires a lot of behavioural amendment. I believe we will not reach a stable stage until after three years.”

Ms Alabam has come up with methods to address any behavioural problems, which include consultations, leadership training and guidance sessions.

There is also a library and small theatre where the children can read and perform plays, both of which can help to tackle the issues.

“If the problem is stealing, we make them read a story about a trustworthy character and then we make the child act out this character to enrich him with this quality,” Ms Alabam said.

She said that one of the main challenges staff faced was the language barrier.

“Some were taken care of by nurses, so it takes time to learn Arabic and the meaning of a mother, aunt and father.”

Providing the centre’s teenagers with a father figure is an important role taken on by Emiratis to help “build loyalty and national identity within them since childhood”, Ms Alabam said, adding that the orphans left the village once they turned 21.

“Once they have reached 21 we would have already explored their talents and prepared them to find a suitable job.”