Al Jalila celebrates 129 new graduates
dubai — Al Jalila Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and research, celebrated the graduation of 63 teachers and 66 parents from its flagship programme Ta’alouf (‘harmony’ in Arabic), which provides carers of children with special needs with life-changing skills to help them lead more productive and happier lives.
The ceremony was inaugurated by Dr Raja Easa Saleh Al Gurg, member of the Board of Trustees and chairperson of the Board of Directors of Al Jalila Foundation. Dr Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation; Professor Reyadh Al Mehaideb, Vice-President of Zayed University; Professor Abdullah Alshamsi, Vice-Chancellor of The British University in Dubai (BUiD); and Professor Eman Gaad, Dean of Faculty of Education and the Head of the Doctoral Programme at BUiD, also joined the proceedings that took place at the Mohammed Bin Rashid Academic Medical Centre in Dubai Healthcare City.
Dr Raja Al Gurg commented on the programme: “Every child has something to contribute to the world, if we give them the chance. At the heart of Ta’alouf is social inclusion and we will continue to champion it in our classrooms, our playgrounds and our communities. ”
The milestone graduation ceremony marked the first cohort of teachers and principals, from 22 private and government schools in Dubai, to have successfully completed the six-month training course. The teacher training programme was established in partnership with Zayed University and supported by the Ministry of Education and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority.
The ceremony also celebrated the fifth and sixth cohort of parents to complete the Ta’alouf parents training programme, bringing the total number of graduated parents to 266 since inception in October 2013. The six-week course has been taught in both English and Arabic to participants from 19 different nationalities across the UAE. So far Al Jalila Foundation has invested more than Dh3 million in its Ta’alouf programme, which has benefited a huge cross-section of the special needs community, including 266 families living with Autism, Down Syndrome and other developmental delays.
Dr Abdulkareem added: “At Al Jalila Foundation, we are committed to delivering the most effective educational programme for carers of children with special needs.”
Every child has something to contribute to the world, if we give them the chance Dr Raja Easa Saleh Al
Gurg,
Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Al Jalila Foundation