A young student of the Rashid Centre connects vibrantly with the Kuwaiti star.

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

Students with determination are always thrilled to have guests especially from the showbiz industry. It gives them a chance to display their inner talent of acting, singing and dancing.

The students of the Rashid Centre for People of Determination in Dubai had one such experience when celebrated Kuwaiti actress Nour Al Ghandour visited them.

She was received by the students led by Maryam Othman, Director, Rashid Centre, who accompanied her on the tour of the centre. During the tour, the Kuwaiti showbiz star was briefed on the ongoing educational and rehabilitation programmes designed for the students of determination based on their age and grades.

The centre has currently enrolled around 300 students, belonging to different nationalities, age groups who are being trained and educated in a number of skills by the qualified and experienced staff.

Nour Al Ghandour interacts with a student.

The excitement was palpable in the interaction between Al Ghandour and students at the various classrooms and training workshops. “My day at the Rashid Centre was full of fun and entertainment and I felt that it also gave Rashid Centre’s students a positive energy,” said Al Ghandour.

The students were sharing their hobbies and skills in drawing, singing, sports, embroidery, accessories design and agriculture, and happiness overwhelmed her as she answered the queries from the excited students who wanted to share their stories with her.

“The visit to the centre by outside guests can bring about a positive change in the overall behaviour among these students as the guests especially from the showbiz industry end up sparking happiness and joy on the faces of the students.

They (students) gave me the positive energy that I am looking for and they did not feel their disabilities but rather the inherent challenges and desires of them in life,” she said.

She further pointed that it was an honour for her to visit this humanitarian project in the Emirate of Dubai, which is comparable to, or even superior to, similar centres in the most advanced and civilised countries in the world. This assures the national leadership's interest in the people of determination, their issues and their rights, and that they are in their right conscience.

Maryam Othman also accompanied her on a tour of the centre’s classes and training and professional workshops from trade, embroidery, photography and organic cultivation. She explained the centre’s goals and vision, in addition to the artificial intelligence unit that the centre intends to open soon.

The Kuwaiti star poses with some of the enthusiastic stars of the Rashid Centre.

Recently, Valerie Messika, owner and founder of jewellery house Messika Foundation, visited the Rashid Centre accompanied by a senior official from Siddiqi & Sons and spent time with the students and also learned about its therapeutic, training and rehabilitation services that benefit 280 students of different ages, disabilities and nationalities.

They were accompanied by Maryam Othman on a tour of the centre’s sections and classes and expressed her admiration for the students’ creativity at the centre and their ability to formulate their ideas in an innovative way.

Maryam Othman expressed her profound gratitude and appreciation for the initiative of the jewellery house ‘Messika’ and their local partner. “I thank the foundation for giving the children the opportunity to meet Valerie Messika and showcase their talent and skills in various fields as part of its training and rehabilitation programme for the students of determination,” she said.

In another event last year, officials from different government departments, businessmen from various top local companies, editors from many print and broadcast media outlets were honoured for their services towards the Rashid Center for People of Determination.

The guests put impressions of their hands on a wall to be displayed permanently in the centre to remember their support for years to the students of special needs.

The event named ‘Basamat Insaniya’ (humanitarian fingerprints) was held at the centre in which more than 70 guests printed their hands in different colours and their signatures on the wall.

The event full of activities and different groups of special needs students was held under the patronage and presence of Sheikh Juma Bin Maktoum Al Maktoum, Managing Director of the Centre, Sultan Saqr Al Suwaidi, Director of the Centre, and members of the Board of Directors of the Centre.

Maryam Othman said, “We are approaching the end of the Year of Tolerance, in which the UAE has embraced the most wonderful pages of love, brotherhood and understanding among all nationalities and cultures that live on its territory."