There are many ways we can take positive action and we are so proud of our homeschoolers who have not allowed the challenges of a pandemic to stand in their way.
Abu Dhabi HomeSchoolers Association (ADHSA) did not let the lockdown restrictions stop them from making a difference.
Here is what they have done in 2020 – 2021 (reported by team leader Sameera Baig):
* ADHSA kids did an amazing job with the Beach Clean Up organised by DiveAbudhabi, off the seaside of LuLu Island. We collected an astonishing 65kgs of garbage, primarily consisting of bottle caps and glass bottles. We found fishing nets, plastic spoons and a lot of camping trash. Although a lot of trash collected was ocean debris, a good amount of it was by frequent campers and beach goers.
We would like to send a humble message out to the world to keep our oceans clean and that each one of us should do our part in achieving it. Reduce single use plastic that are non-essential, reduce intensive farming products that are not sustainable and be mindful of littering.
* As COVID-19 spreads, millions do not have ready access to soap and water for handwashing. Every day in rural communities throughout sub-Saharan Africa, people suffer from a lack of access to clean, safe water. Children often bear the burden of walking miles (4kms) each day to find water in streams and ponds, full of water-borne disease that is making them and their families sick.
The home-educating families of the Abu Dhabi Homeschoolers Association (ADHSA) came together to help create awareness and raise funds which provided essential services like handwashing stations, health and hygiene training to the underprivileged communities in Africa. The money was raised with the help of our amazing students through various activities carried our virtually due to COVID restrictions.
Here is a video of the activities they’ve organised and have raised over 15,000AED!
*Helping animals
Reham, Raahim and Saaim
#1
Our neighbourhood is filled with exotic creatures like colourful birds, foxes, and an array of wild cats. We often find these creatures on our evening strolls and mosque trips. We have found all our foster cats outdoors, especially the kittens when we are coming back from prayer. My brother and I fostered more than four cats including kittens in our home.
However, we frequently carry cat food around the blocks near our house to feed stray cats and numerous kittens who are often forgotten about. These cats are usually extremely thin, so we sometimes take both wet and dry cat food, along with a bowl of water. In the summertime, we have noticed cats get sick, so we also take specific cat vitamin pills to feed them along with their food. The cats are always grateful for our visits. They seem to sense when we are walking from many blocks away and run meowing. After they eat, we play with the friendly cats for a while before making our way back home for the night. We love taking care of sick cats near our home too, we make houses for them with cardboard boxes and fill them with our blankets to keep warm. We also have a small garage that we leave open during the hot summer months and the cool winter months for them to take shelter. We buy a massive 7kg cat food pack that we keep in storage to have enough food for all the stray cats we feed. When we first started our cat feeding walk, we found only 3 cats that trusted us to feed them. After a few days almost 6 to 8 stray cats come nightly. When we come home, we have another 4-6 we feed and take care of. Some of our cats have gotten infections that were severe, and we made prompt vet trips through the years. Although it is a time-consuming job, it never got in the way of us taking care of our beloved cats. We often say that the number of cats we have is never enough, and we frequently look for more cats to add to our family.
Roberto Brown and Samuel Brown
#2
Our dog Dimas formerly known as Akoun was surrendered to Saluki Rescue Arabia along with his five siblings and mother. There are many Salukis in the Middle East who are dumped or surrendered after they are used for breeding.
Salukis have a smooth or feathered coat. They are one of the oldest domestic dogs in the world and they are considered royal dogs known for their prowess and loyalty.
Dimas was 6 months old when we agreed to foster him. But we immediately loved him and decided to adopt him. Training him has been a learning experience not just for Dimas but for us as well. He likes to chew on things and dig, so keeping him occupied is important. It is not easy to train a puppy, but the rewards are worth it. We have always chosen to adopt our pets either from reputable rescue organizations or shelters. By adopting animals that are already here on our planet we don’t need to spend our resources on breeding animals. We can preserve the lives of homeless pets that are at risk of dying. What is more sustainable than that?!
https://www.salukirescuearabia.org
More on ADHSA here
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