ABU DHABI // The Future Centre for Special Needs, which provides a lifeline for many families, is struggling for funding.
The centre relies heavily on generous donations and is under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Culture, Youth and Social Development.
He is also the honorary president and funded the facility's move to a new site in Mohammed bin Zayed City in 2011. But money is still tight. Parents pay a fee but this only covers about half the cost for teaching each child, said the centre's director, Dr Mowfaq Mustafa.
New equipment is always needed to cater for the very different needs of each pupil, while weekly trips to take them horse riding or for shopping - outings that help integrate them into society - are a drain on resources.
"We do charity, we ask for partnerships with companies, we do bazaars and galas and open days," Dr Mustafa said.
"But we always have a wish list. Every year we need new things. If we didn't work at fundraising we could not run the school.
"We could not survive and continue the work we do."
A thank-you letter pinned to one of the colourful walls outside a classroom details the success story of one pupil, Arsho, 8.
She has cerebral palsy and attended a special-needs centre in Jordan until she was 5, when her family settled in Abu Dhabi.
Since joining the Future Centre for Special Needs, Arsho has flourished. Her father, Viken Derderian, said the centre had worked wonders with his daughter.
"It was a big challenge for us as a family to bring Arsho and expose her again to a new school system and get her introduced to new teachers," he said, describing the family's transition from Jordan to the capital.
"We were always under the impression that adapting Arsho to the Future Centre would be one of the most difficult tasks.
"However, the feeling of warmth and the friendly environment created by all the Future Centre staff made things very easy for us.
"We started feeling the great joy that she started feeling towards her teachers. We had not seen her that happy and relaxed for a very long time.
"We had never thought the day would come that we would see our daughter taking her first steps alone and be able to walk even a few metres.
"This was considered a miracle that finally happened a few weeks ago."
jbell@thenational.ae
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Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice.
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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Hotel Silence
Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Pushkin Press
Usain Bolt's World Championships record
2007 Osaka
200m Silver
4x100m relay Silver
2009 Berlin
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2011 Daegu
100m Disqualified in final for false start
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2013 Moscow
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2015 Beijing
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
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Henrik Stenson's finishes at Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship:
2006 - 2
2007 - 8
2008 - 2
2009 - MC
2010 - 21
2011 - 42
2012 - MC
2013 - 23
2014 - MC
2015 - MC
2016 - 3
2017 - 8
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Other IPL batting records
Most sixes: 292 – Chris Gayle
Most fours: 491 – Gautam Gambhir
Highest individual score: 175 not out – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Highest strike-rate: 177.29 – Andre Russell
Highest strike-rate in an innings: 422.22 – Chris Morris (for Delhi Daredevils against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017)
Highest average: 52.16 – Vijay Shankar
Most centuries: 6 – Chris Gayle
Most fifties: 36 – Gautam Gambhir
Fastest hundred (balls faced): 30 – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Fastest fifty (balls faced): 14 – Lokesh Rahul (for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in 2018)
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
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