.: The Red Brick – Dubai College's Student Newspaper :.

First we experienced a tide of poppies patriotically pinned to every shirt, raising funds for the British Legion. Then it was time for the onslaught of the pink breast cancer ribbons. Movember was greeted by teachers proudly sporting striking handlebars and students, well, parading bits of fluff that made unimpressive substitutes for the luxuriant whiskers that would show their solidarity with those with prostate cancer. By the time you realize they’ve been growing moustaches, December would have rolled by and it’ll be time to shave again. And while the novelty of wearing various symbols to demonstrate your support for causes may be wearing a little thin, it has never been so essential than now to raise awareness about World AIDS Day, the 1st of December, which is likely to be heralded with red ribbons.

And why is it so vital to raise awareness about it? Because by being one of the biggest killers in the world today, AIDS, or Acquired Immuno Deficiency Syndrome, has taken more than 25 million lives worldwide since 1981, the start of the global pandemic. The results of surveys published in www.usaid.gov show that in 2008, there were approximately 33.4 million people around the world living with HIV/AIDS, including 2.1 million children under age 15. AIDS, caused by the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is a wily enemy: it does not strike by direct attack. It chips away at your body’s defences instead, destroying your T-helper cells, a type of white blood cell, gradually weakening the immune system until the body is left fragile and vulnerable. It then lets other pathogens do the dirty work: without the T-helper cells that fight disease, even something as trivial as a cold or the flu can be fatal. (Adapted from www.homehealth-uk.com).

Www.aids-children.org shared a touching account of an AIDS sufferer, John, who now has a flourishing business due to timely intervention by a family strengthening programme in Rwanda.

“I had an active life: a job, a salary and many friends. One day, all this disappeared because I found out that I was HIV-positive. It was not easy at all. When I was told that I was HIV-positive, I thought it was a joke, I didn’t believe it. I spent several weeks feeling sorry for myself, asking myself what happened to me. I cried a lot, I didn’t want to accept that I was infected. I could not imagine that I would stay alive for more than a week. When the news of my illness reached my office, I was dismissed outright. My boss thought I would either die very soon or contaminate the other colleagues.

I found myself alone without friends or a job, and I realized that there was a problem. I began to accept the hard reality that it was necessary to fight to survive. I had no money, no savings and could not imagine that I would overcome this situation. My girlfriend left me, and I found myself alone with a six-month-old baby. “

What is most ironic is that AIDS is a preventable disease, being transferred by the sharing of bodily fluids. The only time when it is not avertable is when HIV is passed on genetically. Something as simple as making sure you are using a sterile needle before you receive an injection and practising safe sex habits can save you from a lifetime of suffering. Buying the crimson ribbon and donating some money to a worthy cause has the potential to raise awareness and contribute towards discovering a cure for the illness, and subsequently change someone’s life for the better. Every penny makes a difference, so the power to put a smile on a sufferer’s face may lie in your hands- pin on the red ribbon!

* All sites were accessed on 26th November 2011.

“Specs mama!” yelled little Carla delightedly, her blonde pigtails flying as she bounced up and down, hands outstretched as she tried to yank my glasses off my nose. Specs mama. I liked the name Carla had conferred on me. It was a pithy, catchy phrase, rolling nicely off the tongue and making me feel warm and fuzzy all over to think that Carla thought of me as her mama. Carla, six, is a unique young lady. She’s bright and bubbly, with a smiley face and a button nose, and always delighted to dispense hugs and big wet kisses. A student at Al Noor Training Centre for Children with Special Needs, Carla has Down’s syndrome.

Like Carla, hundreds of children with special needs, from chirpy five year olds to confident teenagers, attending Al Noor have had a rough start to life with the diagnosis of illnesses like Asperger’s, Kabuki’s and Autism. There is no denying the fact that living with a mental disorder is not only a trial for the patient, but can make every day a challenge for the children’s families. Yet there is hope, in the form of schools catering exclusively to these beautiful, resilient children. Dubai College students have been given the opportunity to volunteer on a weekly basis at Al Noor and the Dubai Centre for Special Needs, not only to lend a helping hand but also to experience firsthand what it is like to navigate a day at school in the eyes of those like Carla.

Our induction day at Al Noor was certainly humbling. As Apple, our guide, showed us around, it was overwhelming to note the skill and dexterity of the students working on activities like carpentry, baking and painting, among others. Our first working day, meanwhile, allowed us to get to know the children much better: predictably, most of the volunteers’ workplace of choice was the bakery, presumably in the hope of being able to nick some of the heavenly smelling biscuits and cakes. Sadly, it seemed experience had taught the school not to unleash too many always-famished teenagers there at half past eleven in the morning, and one lucky DC student clinched the spot.

I was assigned a classroom of adorable five to seven year olds. About eight interested heads swivelled from to look at me, so I waved hello and sat down in a chair half my height. I’d already committed my first gaffe: Ali came trotting back from the bathroom incensed to find a large stranger occupying his favourite chair, and I was haughtily ordered off. In the following cheerful hour we passed together, it felt incredible to believe that these laughing kids practising words, learning to draw straight lines, jumping on bean bags and wrestling with each other would not develop like other children their age.

At times they even outwitted the patient teachers who took care of their every need: Daniel, who was meant to be colouring in a picture of a butterfly, didn’t seem to enjoy it very much. He’d taken to listlessly attacking the butterfly’s wings with a bright pink crayon only when his teacher was looking; as soon as she turned the other way, he tossed away the crayon and picked up a toy truck, loudly emitting vroom noises. He caught me looking at him, and gave me a very mischievous grin, and I couldn’t help wondering: how could this vivacious, apparently intelligent little boy be afflicted by Down’s?

It wasn’t fair that he would grow up into a man with the disease; it wasn’t fair that any of those beaming faces running around with their toy cars should have to live life differently from everyone else. We can’t change their situation, but we can give them the gift of a strong hand to grasp, a sympathetic ear, a wrestling partner to giggle and play with. We can sign up for volunteering at schools like Al Noor and DCSN as part of the Dubai College enrichment program. You are capable of making a child smile, and as you’ll discover, there are hundreds of Carlas, Alis and Daniels out there who are capable of letting you experience the joy and fulfilment of working with them, and can make you smile the most contented smile you’ve smiled in years.

Charity holds up 'half the sky'

In the time that has lapsed since my last article was published and I began writing this one, a number of people have asked me the same questions: ‘Why Communism? Why Mao?’ Admittedly, the great dictator is not, perhaps, the most likely choice for a role model, let alone a mentor for a charitable organisation. But occasionally, Mao did hit the nail right on the head. With ‘pink’ as the word of the month here at the Charity Committee, I’ve begun to realise the importance of breast cancer awareness and how little people really know about the disease. After all, as the Chairman himself said, ‘women hold up half the sky’. Thanks to the charity work put in by the Committee this month, we hope that women will continue to do so.
The initiative of my partner in crime, charity and Communism- Aashini Shrivastav (aka Jiang Quing)- has been the driving factor in the success of Pink Month at Dubai College this year, but of course, none of the work would have been possible without the dedication and determination of Charity Committee members and the rest of the school, many of whom donated regularly to the cause. It has given me great pleasure to see the majority of students and teachers sporting pink ribbons in honour of breast cancer awareness, and I have been even more touched by the amount of people who donated above and beyond what was expected or called for. Our first charitable parent’s evening of the year was an excellent start to the year as we raised in excess of 2,000 dirhams, due in no small part to the contributions of Geetu Navani, Aman Navani’s mother, who handcrafted some beautiful pieces for us to sell on the day. In addition to this, I must thank the many people who volunteered to bake, not only for parent’s evening, but also for the Pink Bake Sale, a deliciously successful event organised once again by our Committee’s co-chair. That said, the icing on the (pink) cake had to be the recent pink non-uniform day, an event I have always enjoyed as I pick out which unlucky students have clearly forgotten the theme and donned their uniform instead. However, it was only this year that I understood just how important these non-uniform days are for the Charity Committee; on Thursday, October 27, over 9,000 dirhams were raised simply through the participation of the entire school in a relatively basic charitable event. The moral of this little success story is, perhaps, that charity need not be about overly elaborate ideas or convoluted money-making plans; sometimes, the simplest acts are the most effective.
Of course, as two sub commissions in the Charity Committee will no doubt remind me, this month hasn’t been entirely fixated on breast cancer awareness. On the last Sunday of the month, the Harmony House group launched what was then the first major ‘event’ of the year by screening the final of the Rugby World Cup in the auditorium. As someone who is virtually clueless about the sport, I cannot say I was the leader of this initiative, nor do I know what actually happened during the final, but I am glad to say that the dedication of the group was palpable. Events such as these put the ‘fun’ back into ‘fundraising’, and the 4,000 dirhams which were raised through this hour of charity proves the crucial point that charity is, and should be, enjoyable. Equally creative was the Ethiopia sub-commission’s way of raising money at the year seven parent’s evening the day after, which involved auctioning off pieces of a cow; unusual, but no doubt effective, as their total of 1,800 dirhams proves. I look forward to seeing how other groups continue to inspire with their own benefits in the months to come.
This month, we have raised over AED 20,000 for charity through the efforts of the students, nearly all of which was made in one week. Certainly, it is a formidable sum, but what is even more important to me is the hard work that people have put in to make these events happen. Perhaps we underestimate people too much; to me, the truly remarkable aspect of humanity is the compassion which everyone seems to feel, deep down. Every time someone donates, I am touched, and I hope my dedicated Charity Committee members feel the same.

Although October is now behind us, I urge students not to let the very real issue of breast cancer awareness fade entirely from their minds. That said, if ‘women hold up half the sky’, then there is a whole other half we must not forget. In light of this fact, let us look forward to the month of Movember, which aims to raise awareness about men and prostate cancer. 20,000 dirhams is excellent, dedicated Communist minions, but the past is the past, and what matters to me right now is the future, and the charity that it brings. Continue to celebrate your successes, but remember that there is no limit to how much charity you can do, in or out of school. On a final triumphant note, I’d like to officially end Breast Cancer Awareness month with a particularly apt quote from a wise musician:
“Who run the world? Girls.”

Nayana Prakash

They’ve been around for a while, but I think they’re going to go huge worldwide soon. Blake Mycoskie’s “one for one” concept is that “with every pair of shoes bought, TOMS will give a pair to a child in need” so simple yet so effective.

Why shoes?

•A leading cause of disease in developing countries is soil-transmitted diseases, which can penetrate the skin through bare feet. Wearing shoes can help prevent these diseases, and the long-term physical and cognitive harm they cause.

•Wearing shoes also prevents feet from getting cuts and sores. Not only are these injuries painful, they also are dangerous when wounds become infected.

•Many times children can’t attend school barefoot because shoes are a required part of their uniform. If they don’t have shoes, they don’t go to school. If they don’t receive an education, they don’t have the opportunity to realize their potential.

Blake Mycoskie travelled to Argentina and was so shocked mainly by children losing out on a chance at education because they didn’t have shoes that he started something huge. One man’s simple idea is now making a difference worldwide and with the new addition of selling sunglasses to help people with sight problems toms is just going to get bigger.

Sadly shops including, Forever 21 and River Island are selling TOMS lookalikes! I implore you to choose real toms, from http://www.toms.com/ and make a difference today or TOMorrow.

Here is the TOMS campaign video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aKhV9kpGM-k&feature=player_embedded

Our inspiration

An ancient Indian proverb reads, “All that is not given is lost.” Indeed, the quote speaks a great deal about the innate obligation we have, as members of humanity, to give all that we can to charity. Over the past few weeks, countless people have come to me with ideas for the new Charity Committee, which is to be restructured this year, and I have been struck each time by the capacity of society to feel moved, and to take action. I have been genuinely touched by the sheer devotion most people seem to have for charity, and the creative approach they take to fundraising. No longer is charity about throwing money at the anonymous poor; today’s charitable leaders look to send supplies, and offer active service, which is a donation that far supercedes the much less personal gift of money. As President of the Charity Committee this year, I look forward to seeing what people do in order to offer their support to those in need.

The new Charity Committee will be restructured in true Communist style, with six sub commissions and equal representation- as well as some advice and input from your friendly dictators, Nayana Prakash (yours truly) and Aashini Shrivastav…or as we prefer to call ourselves, Mao and Jiang Qing. The six sub-commissions will represent the charities of the Ray school in Ethiopia, the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, Harmony House in Delhi, the Dhaka Project, MSF and Nepal’s Children of the Mountain charity, as well as the charity events of World Food Day and Music, Charity, Love. Under the new structure, the sub-commissions will work virtually independently of each other, which should leader to a greater sense of participation and, hopefully, more work being done. However, during such events as World Food Day and Music, Charity, Love, we do hope that the Charity Committee will band together in order to support each other, as well as a good cause. Additionally, though a great number of charities do not have permanent footholds in the Committee, we are always open for ideas and charitable events which we can become involved in, something which many students have already noticed.

The year ahead looks to be a promising one, with events slotted in for nearly every week of the school calendar. With numerous applications rolling in, I feel confident that the new Charity Committee, with Aashini and I, as well as Mr. Dennis, Ms. Foulkes and Mrs. Greenlees to supervise it, will be capable of revolutionizing the charitable aspect of the school. As busy as the year will be, I know that the school will always be willing and eager to help out in any way possible. Although the Committee is for sixth formers only, compassion knows no boundaries, and we can all become involved in some way or another, and if you do have ideas, I urge you to seek out the people mentioned above in order for your voices to be heard. With Pink Day and Breast Cancer Awareness Month right around the corner, I am certain that the response will be immense. Now is the time to step forward with your ideas; now is the bring to life the ideas that you have always wished to implement. As my personal mentor, Chairman Mao, once said, “Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend”; this year, we want to hear your ideas, your schools of thought. Although we may not be able to accommodate every suggestion, let the Charity Committee be your sounding board so that we can support your endeavours outside of school, either in a professional or personal capacity. For the coming month, think pink, and think big: in the true spirit of Communism and charity, let us be united in whatever we strive for- and let this year be a fruitful one.

As a training centre for special needs, Al-Noor has been helping children in Dubai since 1981. With professional and effective training programmes, the school provides its students with the best possible facilities in order to aid them adapt to society.

Dubai College students have been volunteering year after year to assist the teachers with the students and so this year I, along with a number of other year 12 students, travelled to Al-Noor as a helper to support the instructors with the students. We were allocated into different areas, which we could choose to help in, and noticed that the school provided a range of classes from juniors to seniors and from baking to sports. I chose to help in the ‘work placement’ class where students above 18 were trained in working skills such as typing and writing letters. This was the first time I was surrounded and communicated with ‘handicapped’ people and I felt it was an interesting experience. Although, they had the appearance of an adolescent, each had trouble with something that we would have learnt as a child. Sometimes, I helped them write a simple letter, and at other times, I would watch them type simple words into the computer and make sure they didn’t get any wrong, congratulating them with a ‘thumbs up’ and a smile every time they finished a line.

It was surprising and heartbreaking to see these children, and learn that they had never experienced the same things as we had. Simple things, that we never think about when we do them and never think of as being an important part of our lives, such as being able to walk, are the things that these students need help to experience. Some had never felt the different textures that we had felt when we first learnt to walk and although we would dismiss them as being insignificant, they were still embedded in the back of our minds and we knew instantly what kind of surface it was. These children wouldn’t know that marble was smooth and carpet was rough and that some surfaces grew hot or cold depending on the weather. They would not know the thrill and fatigue of running and some of them probably never will. However, the fact that there are people willing to teach kids all of these familiar and seemingly simple aspects of life has an enormously positive impact on their lives.

Al-Noor is not considered a ‘hospital’ for ‘special’ children, but a school with students. It not only helps children with special needs, but it also constantly reminds us of our privileges, even in the most simplest form, and that we should be grateful for them every day.

Chae-Yoon Kim