www.womanthismonth.com 71 March 2014 Who doesn’t like to put a smile on a child’s face, especially when the child may be terminally ill or unable to afford the small joys of life? Founded last year, Child's Wish Society is a Bahraini charity that grants wishes to children suffering from illnesses as well as overburdened families with limited income. “We aim to bring a little bit of magic into people’s lives by creating some special moments and memories,” says social activist and founder of the charity, Manal Al-Awadhi. Not every child hankers for an iPad or an iPhone, she believes. “Sometimes it can be something as small as a burger from a popular fast food joint, a new school uniform or a cake and toys for Eid. It’s only when you dig deeper that you realise how simple children’s desires really are,” she notes. Manal was moved when she came across a poster of a child looking longingly at a fast food joint, where he couldn’t afford to eat. She then started collecting wishes from around 90 underprivileged children in Muharraq and asked for donations to fulfil them, generating a great response from donors. Over the last year, Child's Wish Society has organised morale boosting messages and visits for the terminally ill children at Salmaniya Medical Complex. The establishment has also sponsored cinema and dinner outings for orphans in Bahrain. The charity’s biggest project last year was the Blessing Blanket woven by a Bahraini woman, which was auctioned for BD35,000. The money was used to send nine underprivileged Bahraini patients overseas for treatment. Manal monitors around 400 children on a regular basis, providing for their annual requirements. In addition, the charity supports one-off wishes of poor families and children. “No project is too big when it comes to helping people. We know that from experience. Even closed doors have opened up for us,” she says. Her efforts haven’t gone unnoticed. Manal has won the Shaikha Hessa Prize for Youth Volunteer Work and was facilitated at the Social Media Awards last December for the use of social media networks like Twitter and Instagram in philanthropy. “None of our work would have been possible without our support groups on Twitter, who broadcast our appeals on social media. Also Bahraini philanthropist Khalid Alkhayat has been a great help in helping us devise our projects,” she adds. In recent times, the charity has trained its eyes on prevention of child abuse and has initiated a social media campaign to educate children. A Zain-sponsored workshop with a professor from Kuwait was organised to chalk out action strategies to deal with abuse cases. “We want children to feel free and talk about this when they’re affected. We’ve been sending out pictures on Twitter and Instagram, which people have found shocking. However, abuse is a reality in our world today and we cannot ignore it anymore,” she says. by SIMI KAMBOJ community Creating Special Moments You now have the power to grant a young child’s wish by joining hands with the tender-hearted women at Child's Wish Society. Manal Al-Awadhi
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