Young Voices of Arabia - 2020 Edition

Young Voices of Arabia THE 2020 COLLECTION

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Young Voices of Arabia THE 2020 COLLECTION

Young Voices of Arabia THE 2020 COLLECTION

FOREWORD BY

Hissa bint Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum

Published by the Emirates Literature Foundation in 2021 PO Box 24506 Dubai, UAE Text copyright © individual authors 2021 Illustrations copyright © individual illustrators 2021 The moral rights of the authors and illustrators have been asserted.

All characters and events in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright holders. In accordance with the International Copyright Act 1956 and the UAE Federal Copyright and Authorship Protection Law No. 7 of 2002, any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

ISBN: 978-9948-8591-2-3 Approved by the National Media Council UAE: MC-03-01-0785415 Cover and book design by Haifa Malhas Stories by Aamna Hamad Salem Obaid Saif Alsuwaidi, AbdulKareem Ismat Ghazal, Abrar Sirohey, Aditi Gandhi, Ahmed Ismail Zendah, Alyazia Salaheddin Khamis Alkaabi, Hazza Mohamed Rashed Al Ameri, Ioana Teodorova Stefanova, Joshua Melwin, Lama Ehab Almousa, Matrah Ebrahim Saleh, Meghna Senthil Kumar, Mir Faraz, Nour Ahmed Alkhatib, Saira Thomas, Saoud Ahmed Alkaabi, Sashini Manikandan, Shahid Fayis, Suhaila Abdelhaleem Mansour Mohamed, Ward Wissam Al Halabi Illustrations by Aisha Hilal, Alya Abdelrahim AlHamadi, Ari Puguh, Asma Enayeh, Asmaa Alhosan, , Aysha Al Hamrani, Dina Fawakhiri, Khadija Al Saeedi, Khulood Ghuloom Aljana, Nouf Alismail, Sanaa Al Maktoum, Sarah Mohamed Hammad, Stacey Siebritz, Sura Ghazwan Abdul Jabbar, Tarfa Khalid, Tasneem Amiruddin, Wafa Ibrahim Printed and bound in the United Arab Emirates

by United Printing and Publishing Age Classification: Children (6-9) The age classification for this book’s contents is set in accordance with the age classification system issued by the National Media Council.

This book is printed on wood-free paper and is printed in a size that minimises paper waste.

Under the patronage of the

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Contents Foreword 1

By Hissa bint Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum

The Green Warrior

5

By Saira Thomas illustrated by Asma Enayeh

Jamila’s Habibi

17

By Sashini Manikandan illustrated by Tasneem Amiruddin

Create the Chain

By Shahid Fayis illustrated by Alya Abdelrahim AlHamadi

27

Saoud and Chess

37

by Saoud Ahmed Alkaabi illustrated by Sanaa Al Maktoum

Be Mindful

49

by AbdulKareem Ismat Ghazal illustrated by Khulood Ghuloom Aljanahi

Let’s Help Shehab

63

by Ahmed Ismail Zendah illustrated by Ari Puguh

The Unfortunate Optimistic Tentacle

77

By Hazza Mohamed Rashed Al Ameri illustrated by Sura Ghazwan Abdul Jabbar

I Can Do it Too

87

By Meghna Senthil Kumar illustrated by Aysha Al Hamrani

Emily and her Extraordinary Sea Adventure

By Ioana Teodorova Stefanova illustrated by Dina Fawakhiri

101

My Dream

111

By Abrar Sirohey illustrated by Sura Ghazwan Abdul Jabbar

Every Voice Matters

125

By Mir Faraz illustrated by Stacey Siebritz

The Box of Hope

135

By Aditi Gandhi illustrated by Aisha Hilal

The Earth

147

By Joshua Melwin illustrated by Ari Puguh

The Children of Zayed Al-Khair

159

by Suhaila Abdelhaleem Mansour Mohamed illustrated by Wafa Ibrahim

Aamna and the Magic Henna

By Aamna Hamad Salem Obaid Saif Alsuwaidi illustrated by Khadija Al Saeedi

171

Guardians of the Seas

179

By Nour Ahmed Alkhatib illustrated by Nouf Alismail

The Bracelet of Hope

191

By Ward Wissam Al Halabi illustrated by Sarah Mohamed Hammad

Forever Giving

207

By Alyazia Salaheddin Khamis Alkaabi illustrated by Alya Abdelrahim AlHamadi

The Leader of Heroes

223

By Lama Ehab Almousa illustrated by Asmaa Alhosani

Matrah’s Adventures in Al-Dhafra

by Matrah Ebrahim Saleh illustrated by Tarfa Khalid

231

Foreword

By Hissa bint Hamdan bin Rashid AlMaktoum

What do you see when you think of the future? Is there still time for us to make a difference?

When we asked the young writers who took part in the Voices of Future Generations competition to write a story about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we were in part asking them to make sense of all the stories adults tell about the world. In a way, each of the seventeen goals is a story, one for which the UN is asking you to write the end.

Each of the twenty winning stories collected in this volume —ten written in Arabic, ten in English, together thanks to the magic of translation—has a unique solution to one or more of the SDGs. Part of the reason these stories won was how 1

the authors found clever links between different goals, so that doing good in one area also helps in others. Some of the stories focus on teamwork, and people with different talents working together.

Many draw on Arabian culture and indigenous animals and plants. As adventure stories, most have some magical or hi-tech elements that set the characters on their journey or help them on the way. But in all, kindness and inventiveness lead to the solution.

These stories show how the problems of the world are connected. Global warming is the great threat to all us humans, but it is connected to pollution and biodiversity loss (the deaths of entire species and ecosystems), and beyond that all kinds of other issues, including education and ending poverty. These are all pieces of the puzzle of how to make our society more sustainable—or different plots in a bigger story.

The 2019-2020 VOFG Arabia competition was only possible because of the time and effort put in by many people. I would like to thank the teachers and parents who encouraged children to submit their stories, the judges who assessed the

2

entries and faced the daunting task of selecting only twenty winners, the Emirates Literature Foundation team who ran the competition and managed the book’s publication. Most of all, I would like to thank the hundreds of children who took part in the competition. The quality of your research, your understanding of the SDGs and your storytelling skills are a testament to what the future generation can achieve if given the chance. Your enthusiasm demonstrates a will to make a real difference.

I think that with young writers like you, we can all look forward to a future worth living in.

3

The Green Warrior

By Saira Thomas

1

Salma raced out of her school bus, turning back once inside the gate to wave at her friends as the bus pulled off. She rushed to hug her mother, who was waiting for her at the door.

‘How was your day, dear?’ asked her mother.

‘GREAT!’ replied Salma, ‘We learned about the Arabian oryx today. Did you know that many years ago we could find them in our desert just like camels?’

‘Wow! That sounds interesting. I am sure your grandmother will have many stories to tell about those times,’ said her mother. ‘Since it’s

5

Saira Thomas

the weekend, tomorrow we will be visiting her as usual. But now, you should clean yourself up and have something to eat. Later you can help me water the plants in the garden.’

Salma ran to do as her mother said.

Later in the evening, Salma was in the garden with her mother. They had finished watering the plants and her mother was pruning the roses and keeping the cut-off stems in a neat pile in a corner. Salma loved being in the garden in the midst of flowers and greenery. The garden was not very big, but it was lush, even though they lived in the desert. Salma looked over the fence at the vast desert surrounding her home.

She could see a ghaf tree in the distance. There were a few camels resting under the tree. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine a herd of Arabian oryxes running around. Soon her imagination took over and she saw green trees all around, colourful birds pecking on juicy fruits, different types of animals playing hide and seek among the trees . . . She sighed, ‘How peaceful and beautiful it is!’ She stared in wonder as a majestic Arabian oryx walked towards her. She

6

The Green Warrior

extended her hand and it nuzzled her palm with its nose. It was very tickly, and she laughed out loud.

‘Salma! It’s getting late, let’s go back inside, dear.’ Salma was startled out of her dream by her mother’s voice. She opened her eyes and found that it was indeed dark outside.

2

Grandmother’s house was not very big, but it was beautiful and cool. Salma knew this was because the house was flanked by two huge acacia trees. It was under one of these trees that Salma finally found herself sitting and talking with her grandmother, after the delicious family lunch. She loved listening to her grandmother talk about her childhood.

Her grandmother told her, ‘In those days, we often found herds of Arabian oryxes grazing near our homes, mostly when the weather was cool.

Life was not as easy at that time as it is now.

People used to hunt animals, especially for their meat. Money from selling the hides and horns was an added bonus for hunting Arabian oryxes.

7

Saira Thomas

Thus, they became an easy target. Luckily, the authorities noticed the danger before it was too late and took immediate measures to save them from extinction.’

‘My teacher told me that Arabian oryxes are being slowly reintroduced back into the desert.

How wonderful it would be, if some of them found their way to our neighbourhood too!’ sighed Salma wistfully.

‘Animals go to places where they can find food and safety,’ said Grandmother with a wise smile.

On their way home, Salma came up with a plan. She went to check if the stems of the rose plants were still where her mother had left them the day before. Yes! They were still there. Salma took some stems and went beyond the fence. Her friends, who were playing in their yards, came to check what she was up to. She described her dream to make their surroundings green and beautiful. They all agreed to help her. Well, all except Abdul, the troublemaker.

‘GIRLS and their STUPID dreams and ideas!

As silly as always!

Do you really think that you can save the world by sticking a few stems in the

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The Green Warrior

sand?’ he sneered.

‘At least we are trying!’ replied Khadija.

‘DO YOU HAVE A BETTER IDEA, ABDUL?’

snapped Zarah.

‘WHATEVER! I’m off to play my new video game,’ Abdul said and stormed off.

‘We will show him that girls have the power to make our dreams come true too, same as the boys!’ vowed Khadija. Salma and her friends

planted the stems, watered them and went home satisfied.

The next evening, the friends went to check on their plants, armed with watering cans. But the sight that awaited them was very sad. All the plants looked wilted. Abdul was also there, laughing his head off.

‘Wow! Amazing job as always girls!’

he sniggered and walked away. Salma felt like crying.

‘Hey! Don’t give up yet,’ said Khadija, ‘I think I know what we did wrong. Before any project there is something important that we should do.

We all missed it.’

‘RESEARCH!!!!’ they all shouted together.

9

Saira Thomas

They had to find out which plants grew best in the desert. The gang decided to meet again the next weekend with their findings.

3

When Salma told her parents about what had happened, they told her that there is no shame in failing. They also advised her that success comes to those who try again and again.

The next day, Salma’s mother took her out after school. After shopping at the souk, they went to the nearby nursery, Al Khudra, where her mother got all the things needed for their garden.

The owner of Al Khudra was a very friendly old man, who was always ready to answer Salma’s zillion questions about each and every plant and flower in his nursery. This time Salma shared her dream with him. The kind old man listened with interest about her mission to create greenery all around them. When they were about to leave, he asked her to call him if she needed any help with her project.

‘Shukran! Ma’assalama!’ Salma happily

bid him goodbye.

10

The Green Warrior

That weekend, the friends met at the local café, Arabicana. Sipping on their favourite milkshakes and nibbling on yummy samboosas and manakkish, they discussed their findings at length. ‘So, the saplings we can use are date palm, juniper, frankincense, acacia, ghaf, neem, etc.,’ concluded Zarah. They all agreed. Salma went home and made a call to the kind old man at Al Khudra.

A few days later, while Salma and her mother were in the garden watering the plants, a truck drew up at the gate. It was the old man from the nursery. He had brought twenty saplings for Salma, a mix of acacia, ghaf, date palm and neem. She was delighted when the old man offered to show her how to plant them the proper way. Salma and the old man were followed by her parents and her friends. They were armed with spades, trowels, manure, watering cans and the saplings. First, they made twenty pits, then added manure and planted the saplings.

They all took turns watering them. Even Abdul was excited and wanted to help.

‘OH! Not so fast, SMARTY-PANTS,’ quipped 11

Saira Thomas

‘First you have to repeat “GIRLS THE BEST” three times, as an apology.’

Khadija,

ARE

He did so with a grin, and everyone laughed goodheartedly. Salma thanked the old man and he left with a gentle reminder to water the saplings every day and a promise to bring more saplings when she was ready.

4

Years passed by, and the saplings they planted surrounded them as green trees. Encouraged

12

The Green Warrior

by their success, her friends and neighbours started planting trees around their homes too.

The entire neighbourhood became an oasis.

The air is now fresh and clean. Nowadays they turn off the air conditioners and leave the windows wide open to enjoy the cool and fresh air. Salma and her friends usually spend their afternoons playing under the shade of the trees.

Passers-by often stop to wonder at the greenery in the middle of the desert. Salma encourages them all to go to her dear old friend’s nursery and get some saplings. At school, Salma was chosen to be the captain of the eco-club and she is in charge of planting trees all around her school.

It’s a fine afternoon. Salma is taking a walk through the trees with her parents. There is a mild breeze blowing, the birds are pecking at the date fruits and chirping noisily. Suddenly, Salma sees a movement among the trees and stares curiously.

She can’t believe her eyes!

‘FATHER, MOTHER! LOOK!’ she points excitedly. There, grazing among the trees, is a pair of Arabian oryxes.

13

Saira Thomas

‘Wow, Salma! Looks like your dream has really come true. Congrats, little warrior!’ says Father.

‘Warrior?’ asks Salma curiously.

Her mother smiles and whispers in her ears, ‘Yes, dear, you are nature’s warrior, strong and fearless, fighting for a worthy cause. THE GREEN

WARRIOR!’

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16

Jamila’s Habibi

By Sashini Manikandan

1: Hazar Turns Seven

It was a very exciting day for Hazar — it was his most anticipated day of the year. It was even more special this year as it fell on the weekend — he was

turning seven! He was daydreaming about his visit to Jad and Jada’s. His father prodded him awake and Hazar saw the tall buildings were replaced by huge sand dunes and the blurred silhouette of the mountains. Hazar lived in the city because both of his parents worked there and had found a good school for Hazar too. He was an only child and always longed for the week to end so that he could visit his grandparents. He enjoyed visiting

17

Sashini Manikandan

his grandparents in the desert village because he could soak in the golden sand, relish his Jada’s tasty and aromatic dishes and go dune bashing in his Jad’s jeep. And Hazar was pretty sure that there would be a load of surprises awaiting him.

His birthday was one of the most magical days in Hazar’s life as he never knew what was waiting in store for him.

2: Birthday Surprise

The car stopped with a jerk. Hazar jumped down the car and excitedly screamed out,

‘JAD, JADA!’

His stomach started grumbling loudly as the smell of Jada’s cooking reached his sharp nose. After drenching him with warm hugs, welcomes and kisses, Jad and Jada happily wished Hazar a very blessed birthday. Jad told Hazar that there was a surprise waiting for him. Hazar was blindfolded and taken to his favourite place, the farm. There was the usual clucking, neighing and grumbling of animals. When he opened his eyes, he gave a loud cry of shock. In front of him was a cute baby camel, which had been born just an hour ago.

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Jamila's Habibi

Hazar was delighted. Excitedly, he asked his Jad,

‘JAD! JAD! IS THIS FOR ME? CAN I NAME HER?? PLEASE!’

Jad was very happy that his grandson liked his birthday gift. He replied, ‘Yes Hazzee! You can have her and name her.’ And since she was very beautiful, Hazar named her . Well, one might have thought it was magic but when Hazar called out to her, it seemed like she responded by turning her head and looking lovingly at him.

Hazar gave Jamila a huge hug. Dad called out to Hazar for camel riding. Hazar asked his Jad whether he could ride Jamila that day. But to Hazar’s disappointment, his Jad had said no. He loaded his dad’s phone with photos of Jamila to

JAMILA

show to his friends the next day. This birthday was made even more special than usual by his new bestie, Jamila.

3: The Long-Awaited Ride

The next day in school, it was Jamila’s story which was heard in every class. Hazar couldn’t resist telling it again and again. His friend Ahmed was as excited as Hazar about Jamila. Even during

19

Sashini Manikandan

break many boys swarmed to him in groups of four to see photos of Jamila and to hear about Hazar’s new bestie. He specially made a collar with her name engraved on it for her.

After a few visits, he saw Jamila had grown considerably and Hazar was eager in tying the engraved collar on her. Jad and Jada were pleased to see the special bonding of Hazar and Jamila. Jad told Hazar to ride his camel. Hazar couldn’t wait to try it out. Jamila took him on a ride across the huge sand dunes. He felt the loving bond with Jamila during the ride. Moving up and down and side to side, with the orange shade of sand around with the ship of the desert on a lovely warm evening. What could be better for a seven-year-old boy?

4: Change in Hazar ‘JAD! JADA!! JAMILA!!’

Hazar’s excited shout turned sad and questioning when he saw Jad was missing. Hazar insisted his dad take him to the farm. But Jad was not in the farm either.

He saw old Umar, the farmhand, who told them

20

Jamila's Habibi

that Jamila suddenly fell unconscious and Jad had taken Jamila to the vet. Hazar and his dad rushed to the vet. Hazar ran in with tearful eyes.

He asked the vet, The vet told him that she had swallowed a plastic bag left by picnickers. He had taken an X-ray of Jamila’s throat and treated her.

Hazar, with eyes full of sorrow, anxiously asked him, ‘Will my Jamila be all right?’ The vet reassured him that Jamila would be fine after he performed a small surgery on her throat. Hazar was deeply worried and asked his dad to allow him to stay with Jad and Jada to take care of Jamila. His father said yes. Jamila was admitted to the hospital immediately and the vet performed the surgery

‘WHAT HAPPENED

TO JAMILA?’

on Jamila’s throat. Hazar had a sleepless night and he had wet his pillow with his tears worrying about Jamila. His grandparents silently crept into his room and took pity on this kind little boy who took care of the animal most connected to the land’s traditions.

His Jad whispered silently to his wife, ‘His parents have named him correctly as Hazar — he is very careful and caring about nature

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Sashini Manikandan

and shows a lot of affection to animals.’

‘True,’ said his wife.

Hazar stayed with his Jad and Jada for two days. He took his piggy bank with him the next weekend. And in tears, he ran to the farm to see Jamila walking to him with his special gift, the engraved collar, on her neck. He hugged her with tears of joy. He saw the vet doing a check-up on Jamila. Hazar gave his piggy bank to the vet, saying The vet said he didn’t need Hazar’s money,

‘THANK YOU!’

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Jamila's Habibi

saying instead, ‘Avoid using plastic bags, and if you use one you should dispose of the bag properly.’ The vet added that Hazar should create awareness about this issue and encourage others to change, as plastic is not eco-friendly. Many animals are affected by plastic thrown away in the water and the desert.

Hazar understood and solemnly promised the doctor that he would do whatever he could to save as many animals as possible. Then Hazar immediately ran and hugged Jamila and told her, ‘Sorry, my dear Jamila. I will not use plastic bags from now on. He touched her head with his caring hands and Jamila could feel the warmth.

’

5: Small Boy, Huge Change

The next day in school, there was a noticeable change in Hazar’s activity. He was talking about avoiding plastic bags and how it is dangerous for the animals in the desert and water if not disposed of properly. He spoke to his close friends about Jamila’s suffering and pain.

He promised his friends a trip to his desert vil-

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Sashini Manikandan

lage to visit Jamila if they promised to use reusable bags and bottles. Everyone started showing interest in Hazar’s initiative. His friends started a group called Hifz Al Jamal to reduce plastic bag usage and recycle plastic. Slowly their teacher noticed a change in the students and encouraged the children’s activity, and the school started noticing Hazar’s work for the environment.

He started to give reusable metal bottles and reusable cloth bags to all who recycled plastic.

His parents also replaced plastic housewares at home with reusable ones and encouraged their neighbours to do the same.

Hazar made it his goal to spread awareness on plastic bags to the supermarket and grocery stores in his neighbourhood. He supported this initiative by giving handicraft bags made by local craftsmen to the supermarkets.

Hazar’s Jad and Jada helped him with the supply of locally made bags from the local craft centre, thereby helping the poor local craftsmen to benefit as well as preserving the dying local crafts. He and his friends started an NGO to save camels and created a logo for it, designed to be

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Jamila's Habibi

given to young environmentalists as a gift. Many of his friends were proud to carry it on their chest.

There was a lot of change around Hazar, where his surroundings became environment-friendly and he was sweetly called

‘JAMILA’S HABIBI’.

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Create the Chain

By Shahid Fayis

It was the month of Shaban when Hamzah’s family decided to move to a new villa in Sharjah.

‘Do you hear that?’ Khalid asked Ahmed.

‘I think our new neighbours are here.’ They

ran out to take a quick look. The movers were offloading the furniture from the truck. Hamzah was standing aside with his dad.

‘Hello, I am Ahmed, and this is my brother Khalid. We are happy to welcome you to our neighbourhood. If you require anything, we are happy to help.’

In a matter of hours, the three of them became very good friends.

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Shahid Fayis

Ahmed and Hamzah were 11 years old and Khalid was 9 years old. All of them were disciplined, kind-hearted and very well-behaved boys.

Since Hamzah’s parents were busy settling into their new home, Hamzah spent a lot of time with Ahmed and Khalid.

They loved playing with LEGO bricks and PS4 at home and enjoyed playing kurat alqadam (football) with other children in the nearby park.

One morning, while playing in the park, they noticed an unusual plant in between the bushes.

‘WOW, look at those glossy oval leaves,’ said Ahmed.

‘Look at the bright red flowers.’

Suddenly, they heard a LOUD CLINKING sound.

A small boy had fallen off his bicycle. They quickly ran to help him.

‘ARE YOU ALL RIGHT? Let me help you,’ said Hamzah. They helped the boy walk to his parents, as he had bruised his knee.

‘WHOA!

Can you see what I am seeing?’

Khalid. ‘This is UNBELIEVABLE,’ said

asked Hamzah. The boys were astonished to see that the plant had grown a few inches taller in just ten

28

Create the Chain

minutes.

Now, it was time to go home, so they decided to return next day to check on the plant, which they named Tizarre as it was a bizarre plant.

Days passed by. It was the first day of Ramadan. They all decided to have combined dinner in the park along with their families. Hamzah’s mum cooked delicious shawarma rolls, harees and kunafah, while Ahmed and Khalid’s mum cooked lamb machboos and basbousa.

They found a comfortable place near the Tizarre plant. After dinner, Ahmed and Hamzah took some food to feed a cat near the plant.

Tizarre grew few inches again right before our eyes,’

‘Whoa, how did that happen?

said Hamzah.

This was when they realised that the plant grew in a strange way. They spent hours thinking about this unusual plant.

‘Whenever anyone does an act of kindness near the plant, it grows bigger immediately,’ said Ahmed.

‘So . . . if we care and help people and the environment, this plant will grow by Eid!’ said Khalid.

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Shahid Fayis

Khalid, Ahmed and Hamzah were very excited and discussed many ways to help the plant grow faster. They made more friends in the neighbourhood. Together, they made a list:

‘The blank space is for you to add your ideas,’ said Ahmed to all

the children who wanted to join to help in making the tree grow faster, including you.

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Create the Chain

‘Let us start with the Buddy activity,’

said

Khalid.

The idea was to become a Buddy and help another child in the neighbourhood learn something new. Ahmed was very good at drawing, Khalid loved reading and Hamzah was a good football player.

All the children wrote down their best skills and decided to meet at the park near the plant every evening at 4 PM to teach the skill. This way the plant grew faster and started producing more flowers. The children in the neighbourhood enjoyed learning new things and became more talented. Word spread around and children from other nearby areas started joining.

Later, they made a theme poem to sing in the park.

We love to share, We love to care, We love to be kind, We have a thoughtful mind.

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Shahid Fayis

They enjoyed pretending to be different characters from novels and even made a name for their group. They named the group ‘Chain Brain’.

They continued doing other activities in the list like donating meals, toys and whatever else they could.

After a month of fasting, it was the day of Eid ul Fitr. All the children were dressed in new clothes when they met in the park after Eid prayer.

‘WOW, LOOK AT THIS. The flowers have

started opening,’ said Khalid. They were still not

sure what fruit it would produce.

The Chain Brain team watered the plant and continued doing acts of sharing and kindness.

The plant grew into a beautiful tree.

It was a long wait. Two months seemed like a year. They looked around the tree and saw a ripe fruit. In the beginning, they were a bit disappointed since it did not turn out the way they expected it to be. Khalid thought that it was going to be a big shiny fruit while Ahmed thought it was going to look magical and glow in the dark. However, it turned out to be a dark

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Create the Chain

red and round-shaped fruit. It looked more like a regular red apple.

They were curious to know what it was and took it home. After they had a nice look at the fruit, they got to know that it was a special variety of the rumman, or pomegranate.

They took it to show to their parents and all of them tasted bits of the fruit. It tasted very good.

They learned from their parents that rumman is a very nutritious fruit.

Months passed by and the children got busy with exams. One day, Ahmed was curious to know how big Tizarre had grown and went to the park.

‘OH NO, this is very upsetting.’ He noticed that the plant had become shorter.

Next day, he called the Chain Brain team to come to the park. They all were expecting something good but were upset to see the plant had become shorter.

Something was very suspicious about this and they had to solve it. They knew it was going to be tough, so they made a list for research activity:

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Shahid Fayis

1. Why did the tree grow shorter?

2. Is there another plant with a similar growth behaviour?

3. What can we do to help the environment?

The Chain Brain team met the next day with the answers:

1. The tree became shorter because we stopped doing acts of kindness when we became busy.

2. We can only find out when we create a bigger chain around the world to do acts of kindness to people, plants and animals.

3. There are many ways to help. Each one of us should take a pledge to do our part.

They were very happy to see the tree growing bigger again. They decided that they would continue to take care of nature in every way possible.

There may or may not be similar plants anywhere, but all plants and animals in this world deserve kindness. Let us ‘Create a Chain’ to take care of our environment.

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36

Saoud and Chess

by Saoud Ahmed Alkaabi

Saoud was a nine-year-old boy with brown skin and wide eyes glowing with energy and intelligence. He loved playing logic and brain games, and buying many books to read. He was good at using technology, and he loved watching football matches. One day he read in a magazine about a chess centre. He had always wanted to learn how to play chess, that magical game full of challenges, so he asked his father if he could join. His father promised to take him there soon to find out more. His father contacted the centre and learned more details about its services, how to join and membership requirements.

The next day, Saoud visited the centre to learn

37

Saoud Ahmed Alkaabi

more about it. He felt calm and happy because he had found exactly what he was looking for.

He registered for membership immediately. The coach told him that he would meet him the next day to start learning chess from A to Z. On the way home, Saoud asked his father to buy him a chess board to practise what he learned every day. Saoud was so excited to learn chess, he browsed the internet to learn even more. He felt happy applying what he learned to get ready for tomorrow.

At the centre, Saoud learned the basics of chess with the coach, and was introduced to his fellow chess players and chatted with them in the hall. He was surprised to find out that they were professional chess players who had been learning chess for years. He was very excited to get to know them and learn from them. However, he noticed something strange. There was a darkskinned boy sitting in the corner far away from them, who didn’t participate in their conversations or play chess with them. Saoud approached him to say hi, and the boy greeted Saoud hurriedly.

‘Let me introduce myself, my name is Saoud,’ 38

Saoud and Chess

Saoud told the boy.

‘And my name is Adnan,’

the boy replied reluctantly, then he turned away.

Saoud couldn’t understand the reason behind Adnan’s behaviour, until another boy named Ahmed, who was introduced to him earlier, shouted at Saoud, saying,

‘MOVE AWAY

FROM HIM so that you don’t become like him,

and wash your hands with soap.’

Saoud didn’t understand what Ahmed meant but he noticed signs of discontent and unease on Adnan’s face. Saoud asked Ahmed what he meant by ‘become like him’.

Ahmed said: ‘Can’t you see that Adnan is very

dark and gloomy?! If you sit next to him, you will catch germs that will turn you his colour and everybody will run away from you.’

Saoud was upset upon hearing what Ahmed said, and didn’t respond to him as he noticed everyone in the team was intimidated by Ahmed.

On the way back home, Saoud was thinking about Adnan and how he was treated by everyone in the centre. He told his father about what happened, and how it made him upset.

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Saoud Ahmed Alkaabi

Saoud’s father thanked him for his noble feelings, and for sharing this problem with him, then he said, ‘Son, did you know that our colours and appearances are God’s creations, and we don’t get to choose them? That’s why we all have the same hearts, and minds. So, why would we disdain people for the colour that they were born with? We all know that Allah, glory be to Him, is the best of creators and He created man in the best of stature. That’s why we shouldn’t comment on other people’s colours or appearances. Instead we should focus on the blessings Allah granted us, like good health, welfare and the ability to think, and praise Him for everything. We have to pay attention to a person’s deeds and achievements, instead of fixating on colour, race, tribe, ideology or culture.’

While Saoud was waiting for the centre’s bus to arrive, he was thinking about Adnan and how he was going to deal with him and convince the others not to discriminate against any colour or appearance. When he arrived, he rushed to the hall where Adnan was sitting by himself using a computer. Adnan became nervous when he saw

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Saoud and Chess

Saoud approaching, and so he turned off his computer and went to sit far away in his usual corner.

Saoud noticed what happened, but he decided to ignore it and went straight to Adnan to greet and sit next to him. However, Adnan asked him to move away.

Saoud asked him, ‘Why are asking me to move away from you? I’m excited to sit next to you to get to know you better, as I’m sure you are unique, not because of your different colour or appearance, but because of your skills and talents, and what you have done and achieved so far.’

Adnan gave him a little smile, showing how pearly his teeth were. Saoud looked at him and said: ‘You look very beautiful when you smile.’

When Adnan started talking about himself, Saoud noticed that they both liked reading, technology and football. Saoud praised Adnan for his achievements, as he had won various prizes and competitions, such as being the most well-mannered student at his school. Then Saoud asked Adnan why everyone from the chess team avoided him, and whether they had justifiable reasons. Adnan said that he doesn’t

41

Saoud Ahmed Alkaabi

know the exact reason, but when he joined the team a few weeks ago, he tried to shake hands with everyone on his first day, but instead they all looked at him in disgust, then Ahmed shouted at him, ‘Please don’t come close to us. Can’t you

see that you’re different from us? We don’t want you to infect or harm us!’ Then he asked

Adnan to sit far away from them, and when the coach asked him to play with one of the other players, Ahmed told them that whoever plays with Adnan will have to stay away from him and wash their hands immediately after they finish playing with Adnan.

Suddenly, Ahmed entered the hall with the rest of the team and told Saoud to stay away from Adnan so that he didn’t get sick and change colour. Saoud angrily told Ahmed to stop treating Adnan so badly and that he had no right to mistreat others because of their looks. Ahmed replied that if Saoud wanted to be Adnan’s friend then there was something wrong with him too, and he should keep quiet and stay away from the rest of the group.

Annoyed, Saoud told the coach about the

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Saoud and Chess

problem. The coach informed him that he had tried a whole bunch of times to convince the students that their behaviour was improper conduct, but they wouldn’t listen to anyone.

‘In time they’ll learn their lesson,’ the coach said confidently to Saoud.

A few months passed, and Saoud had become a chess master! The coach encouraged his team to participate in the chess championship at the state level so they could learn from the challenges they faced there. When the name list was announced, Ahmed was surprised that Saoud and Adnan would go to the championship with him.

Ahmed said angrily to the coach, ‘Your

selection of competitors is WRONG. You must choose someone else. The team has MANY outstanding players.’

The coach replied, ‘The choice was made by the team of experts who visited the centre a little while ago.’ Ahmed gave Adnan and Saoud an angry look and turned away.

Saoud and Adnan prepared for the tournament.

They practised constantly at Saoud’s house after their parents met each other. They became close

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Saoud Ahmed Alkaabi

friends. They also trained by playing on the most challenging chess websites, earning top scores.

When the bus travelled to the championship location, Ahmed sat distantly and alone, playing on his tablet. On the other hand, Saoud and Adnan were chatting away and laughing. Saoud passed candies out to the coach and Adnan.

When he reached Ahmed, he refused even to look at Saoud.

When they arrived, the coach got off first, then Saoud. When Adnan was getting off . . .

Ahmed PUSHED him from behind!

Adnan landed painfu lly,

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Saoud and Chess

and although he was given first aid it looked like his leg was broken. The coach told him to rest and forget about the tournament and that he could take part in the next one instead. However, Adnan insisted that he would play despite the pain. Adnan played in the first round and won.

He moved to the second and won as well. He won every round easily.

At the award ceremony, everyone was surprised by the attendance of an eminent personality who would honour the winners and take photos with them.

Adnan took the first place worthily. Saoud took the third place as he lost in one round. Ahmed won just one out of five rounds. He did not get a high rank. Adnan asked Ahmed unexpectedly to come up onstage with him and Saoud so that all three members of their team could take a picture together with this figure. He considered all of them winners.

Ahmed’s eyes filled with tears and he apologised to Adnan for his behaviour. He held onto his hands tightly and said, ‘Our morals and accomplishments represent us, not our colours

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Saoud Ahmed Alkaabi

or appearances.’

‘You are right! Even the chess we are playing

and enjoying contains black and white colours.

We cannot afford to spare one of them until the game is done,’ Saoud said enthusiastically.

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47

Be Mindful

by Abdul Kareem Ismat Ghazal

It was a beautiful morning, and the sun was shining through the windows and doors as everybody woke up. And how beautiful were the rays of sunshine on this special day! It was the International Day of Happiness, when the whole world is filled with joy. The rays of sunshine travelled all the way to a country with beautiful buildings reflecting all their amazing colours.

In this wonderful country lived Rashid and his older sister Hassa with their parents in a big, beautiful house with old barjeel wind towers on the roof, and a design where past meets present to paint a beautiful, colourful picture.

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Abdul Kareem Ismat Ghazal

The breeze slipped through the window into ten-year-old Rashid’s room, caressing his face. He moved his dark and silky hair away from his eyes as he woke up feeling excited and energetic.

Then he woke up his parents and rushed to Hassa’s room. Hassa is two years older than him.

They both look very much like each other, and they also have many things in common: they’re both funny, kind and love exploring and going on adventures.

Rashid woke his sister, shouting, ‘COME

ON, HASSA! We have to hurry! Today the school is

celebrating International Day of Happiness, and I can’t wait to be there! LET’S GO, HASSA!’ ‘All right, ALL RIGHT! I’m awake. You can go ahead and I’ll catch up with you right away,’ replied Hassa.

Hassa got out of bed excitedly, and as she was helping her mother prepare for school, she heard the sound of water pouring heavily. She looked for the source of this sound, only to find her brother Rashid brushing his teeth while leaving the tap water running down and filling up the sink.

‘Why don’t you use a cup instead of wasting all this water?’ Hassa scolded her brother.

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Be Mindful

‘Why would I use one cup when there’s so much water? Please don’t make such a fuss,’ he replied.

Hassa was saddened by her brother’s reaction.

She didn’t agree with many aspects of his behaviour; however, she was patient with him because she believed he would change one day.

After a while, their father called both of them,

‘Come on, kids. We’re late. Don’t forget to turn off all the electrical switches, RASHID.’

Rashid turned off all the lights in the house, but he didn’t turn off the air conditioner. ‘I won’t turn it off so the house stays cool until we get back home,’ he thought while rushing to catch up with his family.

The school was filled with a festive atmosphere celebrating the International Day of Happiness.

Many local dishes were being served, such as harees, tharid with aromatic Gulf spices, and delicious golden luqaimat dessert with saffron and date molasses. The scent of Arabian coffee mixed with Arabian incense reminded everyone of their country’s beautiful customs and traditions.

A group of children performed al ayala dance while dressed in kandora. They stood in two rows

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Abdul Kareem Ismat Ghazal

facing one another moving left and right while waving sticks forward and backward to the rhythm of the beautiful drumming. The young girls drew pretty patterns on their small hands using henna.

After a while, the school yards were filled with buses to transport everybody to the Mangrove Park to continue celebrating in the heart of the reserve’s amazing nature.

The children felt extremely happy at the wildlife and marine reserve, while walking between the old trees and rare plants where many amazing animals live.

On the other side of the reserve, the children learned about the many marine species, such as fishes, shrimps and shellfish, dwelling in the Gulf’s pure water. Then everybody engaged in different activities, like walking in the park and taking pictures, or enjoying kayaking on the lake. Rashid chose to attend a kayaking class with his sister.

They paddled the kayak vigorously, moving from one place to another while happily exploring.

After finishing their lovely trip, Rashid was thirsty. He drank water from one bottle after

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Be Mindful

another, then threw all the empty plastic bottles in the lake!

Hassa yelled angrily, ‘WHY DID YOU DO

THAT?! You’re polluting the lake water and ruining the lovely scenery!’

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Abdul Kareem Ismat Ghazal

Rashid replied, ‘Don’t worry. The water will take

the empty bottles away from us.’

Hassa was angry at this careless behaviour.

She left him and went to play with her girlfriends.

As for Rashid, he walked around the place strolling on the beach sands surrounded by mangrove trees.

Rashid looked at the trees, and noticed they had no fruits. He said to himself, ‘Those trees

seem useless. Why are there so many of them?’

He started breaking branches off the bushes to play with them, then he threw them away.

When he felt tired, he lay on the ground and looked at the sky, enjoying the beautiful shapes

of the clouds above him, when SUDDENLY . . . !

It all went quiet! Rashid felt everything around him changing. He looked around wondering what’s happening?!

He looked ahead only to see the water colour changing to black. He was amazed and surprised as he wondered, ‘HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!’

He felt very HOT, as if the sun were aiming its rays at his eyes. He immediately started looking

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Be Mindful Be Mindful

around for any trees to stand in their shadows, but the place now seemed like an empty desert.

He started getting more confused and scared.

‘HASSA! HASSA! Where are you? What’s over there? What’s happening?’ he

yelled while looking for his sister.

He felt something poking his shoulder. He turned around and saw two palm trees surrounding him. His mind was blown away as they started speaking to him, saying, ‘You’re under arrest and must be brought to court immediately.’

The palm trees tied his arms with their leaves and dragged him to the court. The palm trees took him to a big arena, with a huge panel at the end of it where an honest judge was seated.

‘Your Honour, we brought the accused to you,’ said the two palm trees.

Judge Planet Earth said firmly, ‘Put him behind bars, and bring the first complainant.’

Mrs Tree entered the court crying and started talking while pointing at her young son Shrub with the broken twig. She said, ‘Your Honour, this boy harmed me and my young children, by cutting our branches and depriving us from growing

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Abdul Kareem Ismat Ghazal

green leaves. He mocked me by calling me useless, even though I create life’s most precious gas, maintaining environmental balance.’

The judge waited until Mrs Tree finished, then he asked to hear the second complainant.

The palm trees brought big water containers with many fish swimming inside them, all demanding their right to complain.

Judge Planet Earth said, ‘Let the shoal leader speak and tell us the problem.’

Mr Fishie said, ‘Your Honour, we’re going through a disaster that might kill all of us! This boy polluted the lake by throwing garbage in it, filling the whole place with plastic materials which caused the fish to suffocate . . . ’

LOUD

Suddenly, the court was filled with cries and shouts before Mr Fishie could even finish his words.

Everybody turned to the source of that noise. It came from a group of young children as they were entering the court!

The judge said, ‘Who are you? And why are you crying?!’

The children said, ‘WE ARE TOMORROW’S

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Be Mindful

CHILDREN. We’re coming to you from a gloomy

future that suffers from limited resources.

Yesterday, someone wasted so much water that there wasn’t enough left for all the living things that need it!’

They continued crying, and said, ‘We can’t go to school regularly, and we can’t enjoy good health care in hospitals due to lack of electricity!

We heard that someone in the past used to leave appliances turned on all the time needlessly!’

Judge Planet Earth looked at Rashid angrily and said, ‘Did you have a hand in this?’

Rashid bowed his head in shame and said, ‘Yes, sir. Unfortunately, I was involved in this,

and I’m sorry for doing so.’

‘I’M SORRY for leaving the water tap open while brushing my teeth, I’m sorry for not turning off the air conditioner before leaving the house, and I’m sorry for many things I’ve done without paying attention.’

‘What about your other offences against members of the environment around you?’ the judge asked.

‘I admit all my mistakes, and I promise I 57

Abdul Kareem Ismat Ghazal

will never mistreat the environment. PLEASE FORGIVE ME,’ Rashid pleaded regretfully.

Judge Planet Earth said, ‘Rashid, you have made many mistakes. However . . .’

‘If we give you a second chance, will you pay attention the next time you attempt to mistreat the environment?

‘Will you pay attention when you wake up, Rashid?’

‘Rashid, wake up!

WAKE UP, RASHID!’

Hassa called her brother loudly to wake him up

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Be Mindful

as he was lying on the beach sands!

Rashid opened his eyes and said,

‘Where am I? Where is the environment court? Where is Judge Planet Earth? Where is everybody?!’

Hassa laughed and said, ‘Oh dear, brother!

Were you having a dream?’

Rashid looked at his sister, and told her about his dream after he calmed down.

On the way back from the trip, Hassa looked out the bus window and was mesmerised by the beautiful scenery. She told her brother to look out the window with her, then she said, ‘Our environment is beautiful, and we all deserve to enjoy it and live in it while maintaining its beauty, as it should always remain beautiful for years to come.’

At that moment, Rashid reached a conscious decision.

He kept thinking long and hard to find a way to carry out his decision. He spent most of his time reading useful books and watching informative shows, as he was determined to make his decision come true.

He combined all the subjects he learned at

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Abdul Kareem Ismat Ghazal

school to help him in his plan. He asked his sister Hassa to think with him, and told her, ‘I have decided to prove my commitment towards the environment, by creating a watch with a builtin application programmed to include all ecofriendly projects, and to set the alarm off if there’s any attempt to harm the environment.’

Hassa liked the idea very much, and said, ‘Rashid, that’s a very wonderful idea! Let’s name this application “Be Mindful”. What do you think?’

Rashid was delighted with this name, and his sister’s support made him happy.

Hassa continued, ‘You can also start awareness campaigns about the importance of keeping the environment safe.’

Rashid paused for a while then said: ‘I’ve got it! We will ask the school’s administration for permission to form a club where we invite our young classmates from everywhere to meet on a regular basis and discuss our opinions, share thoughts and collaborate on projects that will serve our environment, our country and our world.’

Hassa was excited for all of these wonderful

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Be Mindful

ideas and said, ‘We will start tomorrow!’

Rashid smiled and said, ‘NO, WE WILL START

TODAY!’

The school administration praised Rashid’s ideas, and was prepared to give the necessary support to such eco-friendly ideas. The school also decided to honour the participating students.

When Rashid received his prize he thought, Judge Planet Earth will be very pleased when he learns about my achievements!

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62

Let’s Help Shehab

by Ahmed Ismail Zendah

My name is Ahmed. I am a hardworking student and humanitarian. I am twelve years old, with white skin and brown hair and eyes. I like sport and technology. I wish to be a TV personality in the future. I live with my parents. I love my friends and my cousins, Bashir and Shehab. We usually have a good time together as we are three cheerful mates.

Let me tell you about my cousins, starting with Shehab. He is eleven years old and is a cute, kind and good boy. He loves birds, animals and nature, but he enjoys eating desserts and fatty food much more. Thus, he is overweight although he is tall. He has light olive complexion and black 63

Ahmed Ismail Zendah

hair and eyes. Bashir is eleven years old. He has soft hair, white skin and black eyes. He likes technology and playing football.

Every weekend, we used to visit my grandfather. At his house I would always see Bashir and Shehab. I got into the car with my family so excited and we drove away from our house in Ajman to Dubai. While we were on the road, lightning broke up the sky. I felt that the clouds were playing and singing the rain song . . . (tick . . . tick . . . rains . . . rains).

tick

rains rains

tick

OH MY GOD! Heavy rains are falling.

My father said, ‘Ahmed, this rain is a result of cloud seeding. It is a desert climate here in the Emirates and rains are rare, so the Emirati government decided to sow salts in the clouds in 64

Let’s Help Shehab

order to increase rainfall.’

I was watching the rain fall from the car window. Ring! Ring! It was my mobile phone. It was my cousin Bashir asking me when we will arrive.

I replied, ‘We are close to the heritage district

by Grandfather’s house.’

He said, ‘We are waiting for you! A pleasant surprise is awaiting you!’

When we arrived, I was happy to see all the green plants. So, this was the awesome surprise!

It was the seeds I cultivated with Bashir and Shehab. We entered the house quickly. I went with Bashir and Shehab. My mother went to help my grandmother in preparing the dining table.

Once everyone had arrived, we started eating.

I was surprised by the way Shehab was eating large quantities of food in a hurry. I whispered in Bashir’s ear, ‘Why is Shehab eating in such an unusual rush?’ He said to me, ‘I don’t know, but we

must help him to stop eating this way.’

We decided to observe him and then offer some help. After we finished eating, Shehab moved to wash his hands with water and soap. Then, he came quickly to where desserts are served so he

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Ahmed Ismail Zendah

could eat from here and there. He was flipping sweet pieces and eating one after another as if he was in a race.

I was very saddened. Shehab was hurting himself. There must be a way to help him. Bashir and I began trying to figure it out.

It was almost midnight. Shehab came to me saying, ‘I am hungry. Let’s go to the kitchen to

eat some food.’

I looked at Bashir and then we replied together,

‘NO!’

The sound of Shehab’s footsteps was rapid while he headed for the kitchen. Shehab returned promptly from there holding juice and a big piece of chocolate cake on a plate.

Bashir said to me quietly, ‘How about closing the refrigerator with a lock, then keeping the key in my pocket? I will bring it right now!’

I said to him, ‘HURRY UP!’ We went to Shehab. We took the plate from him and put it into the refrigerator. Then, Bashir locked it and we hid the key. Shehab tried to implore us but we would not surrender.

In the morning, we found out what naughty 66

Let’s Help Shehab

Shehab had done. He had broken the refrigerator lock and eaten the desserts at night! Bashir and I decided that we needed help, so we went to see our neighbour Mr Salim at his spice shop in Dubai Naif Market. When we arrived, Mr Salim welcomed us. We told him about Shehab and our desire to help him.

He nodded his head slightly and looked at us.

‘I have the cure. Wait for me a little bit!’ he said.

After a while, Mr Salim came back with a very tiny glass bottle. ‘Pour just one drop onto Shehab’s favourite food,’ he told us.

We thanked him and went home to carry out our plan.

I said to myself, ‘It is important to be effective.

I think one drop is not enough for over-sized Shehab.’ I applied three drops of the medicine to Shehab’s favourite sandwich behind his back.

Then we put it into the microwave, not realising what the electromagnetic radiation would do to the medicine.

When Shehab ate the sandwich, he immediately started shrinking! He started shouting but his voice

‘HELP ME!’ 67

Ahmed Ismail Zendah

disappeared completely. He became the size of a chickpea!

‘OH MY GOD!’ Bashir and I screamed. ‘What

happened to him? WHAT HAVE WE DONE?’

I wished we had listened to Mr Salim’s advice and put only one drop — and had not microwaved the sandwich!

‘We will work it out. You will not be undersized. You have to hide under the bed until we come back,’ I reassured Shehab.

We hurried to Mr Salim, seeking assistance.

Meanwhile, Shehab stayed frightened under the bed. My grandmother’s cat appeared unexpectedly and saw Shehab. It thought he was a mouse and chased Shehab until he found a medicine packet. He tremblingly vanished inside it.

Soon after, an ant crawled into the medicine packet. Shehab was terrified. ‘Help, somebody, help!’ he shouted repeatedly.

‘Don’t be afraid, Shehab,’ the ant said.

Shehab exclaimed, ‘DO YOU KNOW ME?’ The ant replied, ‘Yes, Shehab. I am the smart Antie. I love you so much because you take care

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Let’s Help Shehab

of the house garden and cultivate seeds in soil to grow beautiful plants that attract insects and birds. You do not know me, but I know you well.

You are unlike all the mean children who kill helpless insects. I saw you looking at the anthill saying “What are the ants doing in there?” You helped us when you were eating and delicious crumbs were falling off you. Therefore, I am going to give you a hand. I will be your friend. I will protect you until you regain your normal size.’

Shehab was delighted by Antie’s friendship.

‘Come with me! I am taking you on a journey

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Ahmed Ismail Zendah

to the anthill. I will introduce you to my friend Sparrow. It will give her such joy!’ Antie said.

Shehab went with Antie to the anthill. Shehab was amazed when he saw ants turn over soil to aerate it. They also move the soil’s organic matter, pollinate flowers, crawl orderly and tidily and work cooperatively. The Queen Ant was there.

Shehab was glad to see the queen. He thanked her, then he left. He stood by a palm trunk in the garden.

Sparrow was looking for Antie. She saw Shehab and said while she was happily fluttering, ‘Shehab, my friend!’

Shehab wondered, ‘Do you know me?’

The bird said, ‘Yes, Shehab. Every day, you used to leave bread crusts by your bedroom window for me. I used to eat and feed my little chicks. I used to drink from the water you were providing for birds in the garden.’

‘Can you help me?’ Shehab said. ‘I want to find Ahmed and Bashir as soon as possible before it is too late. I’m afraid I AM STILL SHRINKING!’ The bird said, ‘Get on my wing! Are you ready?

Hold on to me, little friend, here we go!’

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Let’s Help Shehab

Sparrow flew up. Shehab saw the house garden. He noticed the birds eating and drinking the water he placed there. He knew the importance of the seeds he planted and how it became a perfect environment for animals and insects.

The bird flew straight again, getting closer to the ground. Shehab saw many rare wild animals.

He said, ‘MY GOODNESS! ORYX! WOW! These are camels and lynx. I can see the Arabian leopard.

Where are we?’

‘We are flying over Sharjah Desert Park. It is a nature reserve for rare animals to protect them against extinction,’ the bird replied.

The bird shook her wings out and flapped again.

Shehab was very happy about his adventure. He said suddenly: ‘Goodness gracious me! The Burj Khalifa! We are back in Dubai. What an amazing tower!’

The bird fluttered up then down to the ground once more. Shehab said loudly, ‘It is Al Shindagha Historical District along the Dubai Creek. Whoa!

Look, friend, the Heritage and Diving Villages!

The house of Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum and the

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Ahmed Ismail Zendah

traditional wind towers!’

They flew close to Dubai Naif Market, but it was a large and crowded market even for normal-sized children. It was not easy to find Ahmed and Bashir.

Sparrow said, ‘Let’s go back home. Maybe they got back there while we were searching for them.’

Sparrow took Shehab home again. He had enjoyed the experience but wished to regain his size.

In the meantime, I returned with Bashir from Mr Salim’s shop. Mr Salim knew exactly how to solve the problem and gave us a wondrous invention, a special mix of turmeric, chlorophyll mixture and a secret ingredient. We poured a droplet onto Shehab.

Then, Shehab was happy. He thanked us and narrated his adventure with the ant and the bird.

Bashir and I tried to think of a different solution for Shehab’s overeating. We decided to create an electronic application called ‘Let’s Help Shehab’

1 . . . 2 . . . 3 . . . Shehab began to GROW again.

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Let’s Help Shehab

and download it to his mobile phone. I actually set it up. It contains an imaginary picture of Shehab after losing extra weight. Then, a screen displays several options including the personal data, height, weight, hobbies, age, healthy food, domestic activities, exercises and environmental and social initiatives.

I had a useful suggestion for Shehab.

‘What do you think of making the Let’s Help Shehab app serve society, so overweight children can make use of it in return for five dirhams that will be used to raise a tree and preserve the environment?’ I asked him.

Shehab liked this idea, and so did a lot more people!

Let’s Help Shehab became the most widely known application among overweight children.

Shehab figured out that the main cause behind his obesity is that he ignores the significance of healthy food and daily exercise.

Shehab lost one kilogram in the first week. He kept on cultivating trees, disposing of waste and learning swimming and sports to take his mind off eating unhealthy food and spending time on

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the PlayStation. Gradually, he achieved his dream and reached his ideal weight.

I miss Shehab, Bashir, Grandfather and Grandmother so much. I cannot visit them now because of the coronavirus. We are all staying safe at home to avoid being infected or infecting others. We sanitise regularly. We don’t go out, but we are staying in contact online. We have supported our friends and community by using social media to inform people of the dangers of the virus and the importance of home quarantine.

This virus will be over soon and we will visit Grandfather’s house to play with Bashir and Shehab again.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about my adventures with Shehab. The experience taught us both an important lesson: to do good and help others in our society.

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76

The Unfortunate Optimistic Tentacle

By Hazza Mohamed Rashed Al Ameri

In a world full of hope and surprises, I have my own incredible story to share. But first let me welcome you to Abu Dhabi, the city I’m from. Ahlan wa

welcome

sahlan! That’s how we say ‘ ’ in Arabic.

Abu Dhabi is in the United Arab Emirates, located in the Middle East next to the Arabian Gulf. Have you been to the UAE? Most people think the UAE is just a dry sandy desert with golden dunes and camels, but we have so much more to see.

There are turquoise blue beaches that are filled with magnificent ocean life like dolphins,

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Hazza Mohamed Rashed Al Ameri

dugongs, sharks and flourishing coral reefs. With all the variety of aquatic life, I was able to grow a great love for the oceans and it was here that my wondrous occurrence happened.

My story begins with a trip to the beach. This is my favourite thing to do as we go every weekend.

I usually can’t contain myself as I get so excited each and every time. On this particular day, for some odd reason, I woke up earlier than usual.

Everyone in the house was still drifting away in their dreams so I took it upon myself to wake them all up.

‘WAKEY, WAKEY, IT’S BEACH DAY!’ I yelled to wake my family up.

‘BE QUIET!’ my sister yelled back.

In a lickety-split I collected my beach gear which includes binoculars, a strainer, a pail and a shovel. Then we were off to the beach! It’s a serene drive as the highway crosses over the ocean, mangroves on one side and open beach on the other. We always go to Saadiyat Island Beach. It’s the best beach in Abu Dhabi, with white sands and waters so blue.

As soon as my baba – that’s ‘dad’ in Arabic –

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parked the car I couldn’t hide my excitement any longer. I shoved my sister out of the way so I could get out of the car. The smell of the salty air immediately travelled to my nose and the cool breeze swiftly blew my hair. The sun’s orange glare just peeking up over the waves is one of the most beautiful sights ever.

I instantly collected my backpack from the trunk and dashed to the shore. I removed my flip flops; my toes were so happy to be in the cool soft sand. As I stood there wiggling my toes in the sand, I looked towards the blue ocean, took in a deep breath and thought about my grandfather’s stories of lulu (pearl) diving.

My family unpacked and set up some blankets on the sand for us to have our breakfast. After a hearty meal, I was ready for my beach adventures!

I took my binoculars out of my bag and looked at a flock of eager seagulls flying over the beach as they were diving for fish, eating their breakfast too. I started to walk across the sand to hunt for nurdles, which are little plastic bead-sized pellets.

They are the beginning step for making anything

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Hazza Mohamed Rashed Al Ameri

plastic. I learned about nurdles when I volunteered for my first beach clean-up. Since that day on I can’t unsee nurdles in the sand. I used my strainer to sift the sand and separate the nurdles.

After finding a few, I put them in my pail.

As I walked a bit more, not too far from my family, I heard the commotion of squawking seagulls so I eagerly took my binoculars out to see what was happening. I looked through the binoculars and saw seagulls circling around something that didn’t seem quite normal to me. I anxiously tried adjusting the focus over and over because I couldn’t believe what I was actually seeing! I got in the water, knee-deep to get a closer look.

From what I thought I had seen, it seemed to be a red-coloured tentacle sticking out the water, waving at me! I looked through the binoculars again and it was gone. I looked again and I saw the tentacle a bit closer. It would disappear for a few seconds then reappear closer. Lo and behold!

It was a red giant pacific octopus right at my feet!

It startled me immensely and got my heart beating out of my chest.

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I was about to run out the water but one of its sticky and slimy tentacles wrapped around my leg and a voice yelled out ‘PLEASE DON’T LEAVE, I NEED YOUR HELP!’ Even though I was confused and speechless, I wasn’t scared. The octopus had signalled to something else that was further out in the water. What I saw next was something beyond belief! A whale shark peeked his head up and the octopus gave him an encouraging gesture.

I, still in shock, wasn’t sure what to do, say or think! The octopus hurriedly took it upon himself to introduce who they were.

‘My name is Kenny and my best friend, the whale shark, is Ray-Ray. He hasn’t been feeling well and hasn’t been eating. He’s getting worse by the second and immediately needs help!’

I felt a sense of grave concern, so I quickly introduced myself to Kenny the octopus. ‘My name is Hazza and I’m ready to help in any way I can!’ I frantically told Kenny I had to go get my parents as I couldn’t help him on my own. I ran as fast as my legs could take me, becoming completely out of breath. As luck would have it, my father is a

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marine biologist and could immediately call the right people for additional emergency help since we had no time to lose.

My baba and I swam as fast we could to Ray-Ray to comfort him. Being next to a whale shark in person made me feel as small as an ant.

Kenny told me with such worry ‘Ray- Ray has

HUMUNGOUS

been my best friend since we were born and we travel the vast oceans together.’ Kenny then

went on to share heartfelt stories of their worldly adventures. As we waited in the waters the blazing sun got higher in the sky and bronzed our skin. A ship with help had finally arrived. Marine medics strapped Ray-Ray onto a whale-lifting

machine and hoisted him on board. The aquatic veterinarian quickly gave Ray-Ray medication to ease his pain and immediately performed surgery on his belly.

The veterinarian had discovered the problem once he looked at the contents of Ray-Ray’s stomach. Ray-Ray had ingested an alarming number of plastic fragments and microplastics.

I was extremely devastated by what I had seen

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and was saddened by what Ray-Ray was going through. Since whale sharks are filter feeders and swallow a substantial amount of water daily, they risk consuming microplastics too.

Once the vet had removed most of the plastic pieces in Ray-Ray’s stomach, the surgery was over.

They released Ray-Ray back into the water with a tracking device. As soon as he hit the water he splashed around the ship to signal how thankful he was to them for saving his life.

Days after this emergency, I still couldn’t imagine how Ray-Ray and other marine animals suffer quietly. I always knew plastics were a threat to the ocean ecosystem, but I didn’t fully realize it until I witnessed it first-hand. As a result, my parents and I ran campaigns on the dangers of plastics in our oceans. We also organised beach clean-ups that brought the community together for a very important cause.

On one of our family beach days I, again, set out on my beach adventure. I took my binoculars out and looked out onto the glistening turquoise waters. To my surprise, I saw Ray-Ray’s dark grey tail fin waving at me! Kenny surprised me again

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by wrapping his slimy tentacle around my leg and climbed his way up to my neck.

‘MARHABA KENNY!’

I yelled out

(that’s ‘hi’ in Arabic).

He then wrapped all eight tentacles around me, ‘It’s an octopus hug from me and Ray-Ray!’ He mentioned that the two of them are happy and thankful for the kind help that saved his best friend.

With the information on the tracking device, my parents can always check up on Ray-Ray to ensure his health. He has been happy and

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healthy so far, however, this dreadful situation can happen to any marine animal at any time.

My family have stopped using single-use plastic in all parts of our life and will continue to do so.

We have also created a group in our community that has get-togethers and informs people of the dangers of plastics in the oceans.

The less plastic we use, the more we are able to save our beautiful oceans and marine life.

Through communities working together around the world, we can all save the earth from plastics that are damaging to the beautiful oceans. I think what we do will make a difference and I hope everyone works to help make the same difference.

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I Can Do it Too

By Meghna Senthil Kumar

1: Meet Mira!

Mira is a strong-willed girl. She doesn’t have many friends, but she has a natural talent for sports, especially basketball. She wants to be

a great female example of empowerment. Her parents just love her to bits. Kids constantly bully her because of her gangly appearance, but she never retaliates, other than an icy glare.

Her worst enemy is Emad. Read on to find out why!

2: The story begins . . .

Thirteen-year-old Mira was sleepless. It was two in

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the morning and there were a flurry of questions running through her head.

WHY were women not in the main focus of sports?

WHY are men considered more powerful than women?

WHY are women ALWAYS depicted as damsels in

distress?

Mira’s one wish in the world was women’s empowerment. She wanted to be a great leader like her idol, Malala Yousafzai.

In her community of Al Barsha, there weren’t many things to do. Either Mira played basketball or she wondered about gender equality.

When the first glimmer of dawn brightened her room, Mira thought more deeply.

Can I do something for gender equality?

Why are women considered weak even though they are strong both physically and mentally?

A few hours later, when she had just started to sleep . . .

BEEP! BEEP!

‘WAKE UP! Time for school!’ her mum shouted

from downstairs.

Mira dreaded school, but she had no choice

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but to get up. Surprisingly, she felt refreshed and completely normal as she had been awake for twenty-four hours straight. She brushed her teeth, showered and dressed. Mira rushed downstairs and gobbled up her breakfast pancakes.

‘MUM! Every day everyone bullies me for

being tall!’ Yes! She was six feet! Very tall for an

eighth grader.

Her mother’s reply was ‘Mira, you have to toughen up! Bullies only want to get a reaction out of you. If anyone bullies you again, please inform me and I will inform your teacher. Bullying isn’t tolerated in schools.’

Before she could say OK, fine, Mum, her father called her.

‘Mira, get in the car, I don’t have all day!’

3: Club Day

When she arrived at school, she remembered that it was Club Day. She had waited for this day since she was nine! Then she wondered,

‘What if I don’t find a club I actually like?

What if no one allows me in the club?’

She didn’t realise that she was saying it aloud!

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‘Nothing like that will happen, Mira!’ Her father reassured her.

Mira got out the car, ran in to the building and reached the gymnasium. She scanned the room for her favourite club assignment stall, the sports club.

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She always loved sports, mostly basketball as she could dunk some hoops very easily, thanks to her height!

She was still searching. ‘UAE Culture Club . . .

Music Club . . . Science Club . . . AHA!

CLUB.’

SPORTS

When she was going to write her name on the signup sheet, Emad blocked her. He was the leader of the sports team.

‘Uh-uh. No girls allowed!’ he said.

‘Coach Kabir said girls could join, EMAD!’ Mira replied.

Just then, Coach Kabir come to the stall. He inspected the sign-up sheet and asked Emad,

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‘Why are there no girls’ names in the sheet?’

Just when Mira was going to tell the coach that she was going to join, Emad intervened.

‘Well, no girls wanted to sign up and Mira just wanted me to tell you to make the sports club only for boys.’

Coach Kabir said to her, ‘Mira, dear, I shall see to that. Meanwhile, you run along and sign up for a club.’

She was shocked at how Emad had lied the to coach about the club, but she couldn’t retaliate.

Her eyes were glassy, brimming with tears. Anger was building up inside her. Mira ran to the corner of the room and wept. Her chances of joining any club: DESTROYED! All that positive spirit inside her drained. She had been looking forward to this day since third grade.

‘MUM! Emad told coach that I want to make

Sport Club for boys only,’ she said to her mother

as she came, no, STORMED into the room.

She didn’t bother going by car. So Dad was still waiting outside the school. Poor Dad! ‘Well, dearie, I shall have a talk with your coach.

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Now come here,’ she said to Mira as she sat next to her mother on the couch. ‘Toughen up,’ she said as she cuddled her.

Her mother allowed her to sleep the whole day. A tired father came into the house. After checking on Mira, he immediately dozed off on the couch. Mum sighed.

The next morning, she told her husband, ‘Please tell Mira that she needs to toughen up and fight back.’ She explained everything that had happened. ‘Give her a pep talk and ask her to join the sports club,’ she said to him, and he agreed.

4: A Match

‘Kids! We will be having an interschool basketball championship next month with Redwood Academy!’ said Coach Kabir in the gymnasium.

‘Guys, Redwood Academy has the best players,’ said Emad to his friends.

Coach Kabir went on, ‘The winners get a huge trophy and a cash price of AED 25,000! Each team will represent a charitable organization. This year we are representing the WOMEN’S RIGHTS TRUST.

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Our cash prize will be donated to them. Here are the names of the selected players: Ahmed, Omar, Sam, Jack and Emad.’

YES!! Mira said to herself. She felt a little better

after the encouragement her father gave her in the car. Still, the class moaned. They wanted the money for themselves.

All these boys high-fived each other. Although Mira was a star player, she wasn’t selected

THANKS TO EMAD. Coach Kabir THEN said, ‘I have another small

but still special announcement to make. Mira is now a reserve player. Since she didn’t have the chance to come to the sports club, it’s the least I could do,’ he said, smiling and giving her a knowing look.

She was ecstatic. Thanks a lot, Mum and Dad, she thought. Her heart was singing songs of joy and on the outside, she was tapping her legs, squealing. Coach Kabir then dismissed the class, sent them to the library and started to train the boys. Then Mira worked up the courage to ask for a position in the sports club. ‘Can I join the sports club?’ Then she narrated the entire incident to him.

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‘Oh, why didn’t you tell me before? However, you can join the club.’ He called Emad over and said. ‘Emad, you and I need to talk later today.’

Emad groaned.

5: Another Chance

A month passed, and it was time for the championship. All the students of Jumeirah High and Redwood Academy were seated on the benches.

Cheerleaders were singing chants, teams were practising on the either side of the court and oud players were strumming on the sidelines. The whole court was buzzing with activity.

Mira’s parents were sitting in the first row and made up a small chant of their own! She took a walk around the court.

Just then, when Emad was jogging around the court, he tripped on his untied shoelace and fell down!

The medical team on the sidelines rushed to him and found a sprain in his ankle. ‘Sorry, kid, you can’t play. You need complete rest for about two weeks,’ a nurse said.

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Emad replied, ‘But the game . . .’

He needed to be the star! To make the winning throw! But now he couldn’t . . .

Now Mira could play! Coach Kabir looked at her and asked her to play. She happily agreed, much to her parents’ delight. The game was going to start.

TWEET!! The whistle blew.

6: The Game

Redwood Academy snagged the ball then dribbled it towards the hoop. Mira blocked the shoot and dribbled it to the other side and dunked it through the hoop.

YAY!!! The crowd cheered.

Emad just rolled his eyes at almost everything she did. Right now, there was no doubt Mira was better than Emad.

After the first round, they all rested after a tiring and unpredictable game. Even though Mira was their best player, no one from her team played attention to her.

‘You’re just a girl. Not as powerful as us!’ one of the boys said to her. Holding back her anger,

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she gave him an icy glare.

The second round began.

The game went on smoothly. Time went as fast as a cheetah. Soon, there were only ten minutes left of the game and the score was tied 30—30 Everyone watching was either biting their nails, hyperventilating or praying. The players were dribbling so fast that even they forgot where their hoops were! Fortunately, the coach always reminded them.

7: I’m Powerful

The players were intense. The game was more unpredictable. Jumeirah High’s team’s dislike for Mira decreased. She always got a pass!

Just then, she heard a person calling out to her.

When she turned, someone slammed the ball in her face!

Everyone was shocked, except Redwood Academy’s team. Everyone in the court rushed up to her, including all parents! Mira felt like she was falling in a huge pit.

The medical team rushed to her. Mira whispered to them, ‘Tell them to just give me a

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free throw!’ YES! Her determination was undying.

‘Sorry, dear, the game may end up in a tie.

There are hardly thirty seconds left,’ Coach Kabir said to her. For a few seconds, she thought about her goal in life, the team’s unfairness towards her, Club Day, how everyone bullied her and the Women’s Rights Foundation. Just then . . .

She got up, dashed for the ball and DUNKED! Jumeirah High went wild! They had won 32–30!

The Redwoods couldn’t help but groan and gape.

The whole school gave her a standing ovation!

Even Emad and his friends were clapping loudly!

Shocked by the thunderous applause, Mira had tears of joy in her eyes. She had done her part.

Even though life wasn’t nice to her, she had faced it. She had proved that she was strong. Physically, mentally and also as a girl.

A POWERFUL GIRL.

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100

Emily and her Extraordinary Sea Adventure

By Ioana Teodorova Stefanova

RING!!!!

The alarm clock rang. Emily woke up with a gigantic yawn from her wooden bed. She was still tired from her tenth birthday party yesterday.

Then she washed her white-skinned face that had bright turquoise eyes, brushed her long blonde hair and went downstairs to make her breakfast.

After Emily finished her food she went to the window to see if it was a nice day outside on the

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beach. It was a nice day, so she went to ask her parents if she could go outside to play and swim.

Her parents said ‘OK, but remember, don’t be

late for lunch.’

‘OK,’ Emily answered, and went outside.

She decided to take a short walk on the beach. While Emily was walking, she found a big, beautiful seashell that had been washed up by the sea. Then, she found a nice spot in front of her beach house to make a sandcastle. When Emily finished the sandcastle she went to have an excellent, refreshing swim in the salty sea.

Emily swam to her favourite spot. An old, wooden, sunken ship. She liked to explore the ship, looking at the fish swimming around and inside it, wishing she could do that too. While Emily was swimming in the ship, her leg got stuck in an old fishing net. She tried to untangle herself from the net, but she just got more tangled. She started panicking. Emily was a good swimmer, and she could keep her breath for a long time, but time was running fast.

Then the most extraordinary thing happened.

Emily felt something. She tried to breathe and

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believe it or not, she could breathe and see perfectly underwater! Emily was happy and scared at the same time. Happy because she found out she had a power! Scared because it could be really dangerous. Now that Emily knew she could breathe, she had more than enough time to untangle herself and go above the water.

When she was above the water, in the distance she saw a fin. Emily got super, duper scared and started swimming to the shore. The fin came closer and closer. The closer it got, the faster Emily swam, but the fin was faster. When the fin was right in front of her it showed its head, and all this time it was . . .

A BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN

Emily was relieved that it wasn’t a shark. She smiled and said ‘Hello.’ The dolphin answered. She was surprised that she could talk to and understand animals. She asked if they could be friends.

‘Why not?’ the dolphin answered.

They interviewed each other back and forth.

Then they started to play. While they were playing Emily saw a big jellyfish. When she took a closer

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look, she saw that it was just a gigantic plastic bag. She was relieved for another time that day.

They played for a long time and Emily got tired.

Her friend put her on her back and swam to the shore. Emily thanked the dolphin and ran to tell her parents the great news.

During lunch time Emily told them in detail what happened. She told them her friend’s name is Finny. Her parents were really happy that she got out of the water.

The next day Emily decided to go swimming again so she could see if what happened yesterday

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was a dream or not. When she was in the water, she swam a little. Then, she saw a sea turtle.

Emily asked the sea turtle, ‘How are you?’

The turtle answered ‘ ,’ and somehow she understood what the turtle said. They talked for a long time. While they were talking Emily realised that during that long period of time she could breathe normally underwater. Now she knew that it wasn’t a dream. It was true.

When Emily went to school, she went to her first class: UOI (unit of inquiry). Emily’s class learned about how sea creatures are in great danger.

‘How are they in danger?’ Emily asked.

‘Great question,’ her teacher answered. ‘People are throwing trash into the sea, and animals like

Good

sea turtles think that things like plastic bags for groceries are jellyfish so they eat them and that leads to death,’ her teacher explained. Emily gasped. She remembered that even she had been scared by a plastic bag that looked like a jellyfish.

When school finished, Emily went home. She told her parents about what she learned in UOI. When she was sleeping, she had terrible nightmares about the poor sea turtles and the

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other sea creatures. When she woke up Emily immediately had an idea. She wanted to open an underwater school. She named it: The Sea School.

Emily started making posters and pictures with colours to teach the sea creatures about the difference between food and not food. When she was done, she laminated the posters so they wouldn’t get destroyed in the water and went to show her parents to see if they liked them. Her parents loved them.

From that day on Emily went deep into the sea to teach all the sea creatures her lessons.

One day she had a special lesson for the sharks.

She was going to teach them how to tell the difference between food and garbage. Emily told them a story about how people throw trash into the sea, how it makes pollution and how they will make a difference. Another day she had a special lesson for stingrays. She told them about things they should sting and things they shouldn’t sting. Her favourite lesson was with the bottlenose dolphins. She taught them what she taught all the other animals. It was her fa-

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vourite because the dolphins offered to teach her some dolphin tricks. One of them was a game with a ball.

The trick was to get a ball and balance it on your head. There are different levels. The first level is to balance it on your nose. The second one is to balance it on your forehead. The third level is to balance it on your tail. And the last one is to balance it on your fin. When they got to the third and fourth levels Emily looked at herself and smiled.

She exclaimed ‘I don’t have a tail or fins.

How am I supposed to play the game?’

‘Just use your hands and legs.’

When they finished teaching her tricks, Emily

went back home with the help of her dolphin friends. She told her family about her fantastic day.

When she finished her story, they reminded her that it was a school day tomorrow and that she needed to go to bed. Emily sighed and did as she was told. She hated going to bed but this time . . .

She didn’t. Emily had a great idea.

The next day Emily was so excited because her first class in school was UOI again. She rushed

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over to her UOI class. When Emily got there, she saw that she was the first one! Emily asked her teacher if she could give a small presentation to the class. Her teacher agreed and so when the class came, she presented it. Her presentation was about how thousands of animals are getting harmed. She talked and talked. When she finished, she asked the class if they would help her keep the animals safe.

All the kids shouted:

‘YYYYEEEEEEESSSSS!’

They stood on their chairs and cheered. Her teacher even suggested she give her presentation on the day of the class assembly. Emily agreed.

On the day of the assembly Emily was the first one on stage. She gave her presentation proudly. When the assembly finished her parents were prouder of their daughter than ever.

The next weekend all the kids gathered together to start cleaning the beach and saving the animals. Together they called themselves: The Animal Savers. They loved that name, so it was kept. And from that day on they got together 108

Emily and her Extraordinary Sea Adventure

every Saturday to clean the beach. They even invited other people to join their group. They attracted many people and soon their group became famous. They had lots of followers around the world.

All of this happened because of an ordinary ten-year-old girl who had extraordinary power.

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110

My Dream

By Abrar Sirohey

I live in a city from where you can see mountains in the distance, with patches of slowly disappearing forests. A big river cuts right through the middle, but the river is murky and polluted.

On one rainy day, my family and I decided to sit together and watch a movie of my older brother James’s choice.

He picked a documentary about how the world might end.

I thought it was a little scary, but a good show nonetheless. After watching it, I had a glass of warm milk and fell fast asleep in my room. My dream started normal enough . . . I showered, got 111

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dressed, proceeded to the kitchen, and got onto the bus to school, you know the drill. But then something really strange happened. The bus broke down in front of a burning forest halfway through the trip. Now here’s where the dream gets weird: the burning forest seemed to engulf everything. It was awful. You could almost feel the pain and sorrow of all the animals who had lost their homes and possibly even their loved ones. And this was all due to the greed and carelessness of humans and their disregard for the environment.

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Wildfires occur a lot as natural disasters, but our energy consumption habits are causing them to happen at an accelerated rate and making it harder for the forests and the wilderness to recover.

I woke up in a cold sweat but quickly shook it off as a nightmare. I had breakfast and got on the bus and went to school. I met my friend Mohammed, an inventor, and told him all about the dream over lunch break. We were both determined to try and prevent the nightmare from becoming a reality and he already had some machines in mind to help our cause.

We decided to head to the principal and tell him we need his help. That’s when he taught us about the UN’s SDGs or Sustainable Development Goals. We then asked him how he could implement some of the SDGs in our school. He said he would try his best to implement SDG number twelve: responsible consumption and production, by distributing recycling bins across the school and restricting the use of disposable plastic.

‘But sir, what about SDG number seven: Affordable and clean energy? The electricity it 113

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takes to power buildings, houses and factories should also be sustainable and not too expensive.’

‘I’m sorry, but the solutions that are currently available, like solar panels, windmills and hydropower dams, are not very cheap and we can’t afford it yet.’

With this, we were dismissed and went off to class as the principal was busy again. When school finished, I asked my mother if she could allow me to spend the evening at Mohammed’s house to work on a new project. She agreed. As soon as I got to Mohammed’s house, we grabbed some snacks and went straight to his father’s garage workshop.

We started work on some more affordable prototypes for things like solar panels that take energy from the sun’s rays, windmills that take energy from the gusts of wind, and watermills that take energy from the flow of water.

By the time I had to leave for home, we had completed mini prototypes for solar panels that worked under a desk lamp, a windmill that worked by blowing on it, and a watermill that worked by running it under the tap. The next day,

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we showed our designs to our science teacher, asking if it was possible to implement these prototypes at a larger scale. She said it was possible and that these models were a great start. Feeling hopeful, we went to the principal and asked how we could make the prototypes a reality.

He suggested starting a fundraiser or a charity to help obtain the resources for the project. As soon as we got home, we designed and started a small fundraiser website explaining what we wanted to do and why we needed help.

The very next morning, Mohammed and I set up banners and small stands in the school. We decided to call our project PowerOnix. I told my older brother, James, about what we were doing and asked if he could help. He agreed to help us out on our mission. In the next few days, all three of us had gathered enough resources to build a few life-size models. We reached out to some hobbyists, professionals and builders to ask for their help in building our models. One of them even let us use his workshop and hangar to build them.

We built our first models and put them

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into action in school and the river nearby. We installed small electricity meters on the models to show people how much electricity they are producing. Eventually, more and more people were starting to donate to our cause and some even posted about it on social media. All the while, we were producing more models, each better than the last. Our designs even spread throughout our town, significantly lowering our carbon footprint. However, even with the example of our town, others refused to change.

It was so much easier for people to destroy the earth and then leave it to the next generation to face the consequences.

Many people stood up to this and switched to a sustainable lifestyle to give an example to the others who didn’t care. We gave tips like ‘ride a bike if your commute isn’t that long’, ‘reuse things inside your house’ and ‘replace disposable items like coffee cups or plastic bags with more sustainable options’. Soon enough, we had convinced most people to change and more and more schools and towns were adopting these ethics until finally we reached a point where we

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all felt that the government should support and fund these ideas too.

But there was just one issue . . . a rich businessman who had his own interests and was able to influence the government. He was holding back our plans because switching to a sustainable energy source would put his coal mining and fracking company out of business.

Fracking is a bad practice that involves fracturing the rock layers deep beneath the surface to make holes through which they can take things like natural gas, oil and petroleum out.

So, to try and stop us, he prevented the government from funding us and bought the plots we were going to build our factories, windmills and solar panels on. We were practically blocked from continuing our project. We sat and contemplated for hours, thinking about how we could continue our mission. With no other options available, we decided to speak to him personally. We took our car to his company’s headquarters, went to his secretary, and requested an appointment. She told us he was available right away.

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We made our way to his office and thought that only one of us should go in to talk. I decided to go, so I knocked on the door.

‘Come in,’ came a deep and raspy voice.

‘Good morning, you must be the co-founder of PowerOnix.’

‘Yes, and I’d like to ask you about something that’s been stopping us from progressing as a community.’

‘And what might that be?’

‘We’ve noticed that you have been buying the factories and workshops we were going to convert, the plots of land we were going to build solar panels and windmills on, and there are rumours that you have been influencing the government not to support us.’

‘Look, kid, if you continue, my entire company will go out of business and I can’t let that happen.’

‘But what about the greater cause, THE

FUTURE?!’ I said, starting to get agitated.

‘That’ll be the future generation’s problem and by that time, I’ll be long gone, after having lived a rich life.’

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dren or other children?! You want them to face

the consequences of your carelessness?!’

He paused, hesitated, then said, ‘OK then, call me in two days with a solution that benefits my company and the economy and also helps people switch to a sustainable lifestyle, and maybe then I’ll support PowerOnix. If you can’t find a solution fast enough, do not bother me again,’ he said with a smug grin, doubting that we could find a solution.

He handed me a note with a number written on it.

‘This is my personal number, call me when you have a solution.’

‘AGREED, I will call in two days with a solution.

Thank you for your time.’

I left the office, met up with Mohammed outside the building, and told him about the whole meeting. We both racked our brains trying to find a solution we could bring to the businessman. The deadline was approaching and we still had only a rough idea of what we could give to him as a solution. Within the last few hours of the second day, a lightbulb went on in my head: if we simply 119

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replaced coal and oil, the rest of the chain would not need to change much at all.

Instead of investing in mining machines and having human workers work in such conditions, you could invest in solar panels, windmills and watermills as well as larger hydropower dams. In return, you get electricity for powering (repurposed) sustainable factories and design workshops (that will improve the models).

With new and improved designs that either produce more energy per model or that are easier and cheaper to manufacture, you can then sell the energy and goods. Larger designs can even be sold to communities or cities to power everyone’s homes more sustainably. It was so simple; I had been overthinking it. There were already examples in the real world. Take countries like Iceland and Sweden. They are powered by almost 100% sustainable energy and use sustainable agriculture and farming methods. Both countries are also financially stable.

The next day, with these ideas, examples and some new blueprints, I called the number on the

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note. After a few seconds of nervous waiting, the same deep and raspy voice answered. I told him I had a solution and he told me to meet him in his office. Hearing that, I hopped into the car and headed there straight away.

As soon as I got to his office, I showed him my designs.

He paused, thought and spoke: ‘I will allow you to build on the plots I bought and will lend you one of my factories, but I will not switch my business.’

‘But sir, may I ask why?’

‘Have you thought about all my machines, my equipment, all that has already been done?’

‘Sir, everything can be repurposed, if not recycled. The past is behind us, it isn’t too late to change now.’

‘I said I wouldn’t change. I have given you some land and a factory. I have made my decision. Do not bother me again.’

I sighed, feeling let down.

‘Thank you for your time. I hope you reconsider.’

I left the building, met up with Mohammed, and told him that we now had resources. I also

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told him how the businessman rejected our solutions and how I felt let down. He focused on the positives and reminded me that we now had resources and that it was really great news. I cheered up a little and we continued our project.

After a few weeks, I got a call from the businessman asking about the blueprints for our solution. I felt happy that he reconsidered. We began to see his company change little by little until it was fully sustainable. Not only did his company change but he also became a better person overall; he became more caring and even his voice softened.

This just goes to show that everyone has some good inside of them that if given a chance takes over.

Just remember, balance is key: no darkness without light, no light without darkness.

With this, we continued expanding throughout our region, leaving cleanliness in our footsteps.

All was well, the river was clearing up, the forests were recovering, and the sky was a beautiful clear blue. But the job isn’t over yet. You

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still have a part to play. Try your best to become as sustainable as possible to help our planet recover.

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Every Voice Matters

By Mir Faraz

Gemma paused. She could’ve sworn she heard laughter – tinkling laughter, like ringing bells. A part of her mind muttered something about strangers, but Gemma brushed that away.

Excitement crept up her skin, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Gemma had been playing in the sprawling woods that surrounded her mansion, the way she did almost every afternoon. The woods were her favourite place. She loved being in the company of furry animals, she loved being surrounded by green instead of grey, she loved the sparkling, azure blue river, she loved the

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vibrant, breathtaking flora and the tall, emerald trees. Perhaps most of all, she loved that no one but her knew every single nook and cranny of the place like the back of her hand. She knew where the best trees to climb were, she knew where her favourite berry bush was, she knew all the shortcuts and the sunniest spots to read a book. Needless to say, she never got lost. It was her own secret haven. It was reassuring to know that despite how the Earth suffered, there were still some green paradises left. When most people think of woods, they think of the gloomy kind. They think nothing good can happen in them. It was in the woods that Red Riding Hood met the wolf, that Hansel and Gretel found the gingerbread house. But Gemma knew otherwise.

These woods were like a familiar friend to her.

It was also a place she thought only she ever visited. So, when she heard that tinkling laugh, she felt intrigued and a bit disappointed at the same time to know there was someone else who shared this mesmerizing wonderland. Gemma’s mental map of the woods popping up in her mind, she expertly navigated her surroundings towards

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that tinkling laughter.

It sure wasn’t easy. Suddenly, it had stopped.

Gemma sat herself on a tree branch to look around. Had she imagined it? Sighing, Gemma decided to leave. However, a golden light from the corner of her eye stopped her. Looking up, Gemma gasped with shock and disbelief. Where there was previously a mound of earth, was now a tree. But this wasn’t any normal tree – it was grander, bigger and older than all the rest. All the other trees seemed to bow before it, and it radiated an aura of magic. What’s more, this tree had doors. Real doors, windows, and balconies all over.

Gemma was astonished that she didn’t know about this tree. She prided herself on knowing every inch of the woods. She had been certain there was nothing in that spot until a minute ago.

Just then, a voice spoke in Gemma’s ear, startling her so she almost toppled off the tree branch.

‘Gemma Jackson!’ It was a high – pitched and jangling voice—the one Gemma had heard. She turned, and nearly fell off again. In front of her was a fairy. ‘COME WITH ME.’ Stunned, Gemma

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followed the fairy into the magic tree.

What she saw left her even more speechless — it was a multiple-storeyed, cylindrical building.

They were standing in a room that must have been a reception. Gemma’s escort motioned her up a silver staircase that spiralled toward the top.

It moved on its own. As they ascended, Gemma took in everything, absolutely transfixed. There were numerous floors—an enormous library, with too many books to count; a fairy hospital; a laboratory; there were also at least three floors with nothing but doors. Gemma guessed these were the fairies’ living quarters. There were too many other floors to name. And everywhere she looked, fairies. They were all miniscule, and they all had translucent white wings that left a golden trail wherever they flew. Another peculiar thing Gemma noticed was that all the fairies wore different coloured dresses, and Gemma could see that fairies with the same colour dress also had similar features — like how all the fairies in green dresses had freckles, or how all the fairies in yellow dresses had a tan, or how all the fairies in brown dresses had huge hazel eyes.

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Gemma was beginning to wonder how much longer they would be walking when they came to a halt in front of a pair of relatively tall doors.

‘The Queen is waiting for you,’ the fairy said.

Why did she sound so nervous? Anxiously, Gemma knocked on the door. All the voices instantly stopped. What replied was another jangling voice, like all the fairies’, but this one carried a sense of authority.

‘ENTER.’

This room was grand. It had floor to ceiling windows. The walls were lined with portraits; former queens, maybe. And on a majestic throne, sat the Queen Fairy.

‘Gemma Jackson,’ she said. She looked compassionate, but her demeanour commanded respect. She wore a regal, elegant golden dress that shimmered, and a bright tiara on her head.

Gemma stepped forward. ‘Hello,’ she said timidly.

The Queen Fairy smiled, ‘I know this must be very confusing. Allow me to explain.’

Half an hour later, Gemma understood it all.

These fairies were the woods’ guardians, and

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they lived here, in the Evermore Tree. Each kind of fairy had a different role – the green fairies were warriors, the blue fairies controlled water, the yellow fairies light, the purple fairies wind.

The pink took care of the flora, the orange the fauna, and the brown made the magic dust used to help the fairies fly. The white fairies controlled the Mist, a magic entity that kept the fairies a secret. Humans couldn’t see the Evermore Tree, just a mound of earth.

‘Why did you uncover the Mist for me?’

Gemma inquired.

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‘Because, Gemma,’ the Queen Fairy replied, ‘we need your help. We avoid revealing ourselves to humans, but the reason we chose you to help us is because we have been observing you for some time. We have never witnessed a human who cares more about nature than you, thus we believe you are the one who will save our beloved woods. A week ago, your parents came to the woods, with a businessman. I’m afraid they’re selling this land to make factories. They’re going to chop the whole forest down!’ the Queen Fairy said in anguish.

Gemma gasped, ‘No! They can’t do that! What do you need me to do?’ she asked.

‘Gemma, it’s not easy. You must convince your parents to not sell these woods. It’s our only hope!’

Gemma exhaled. ‘You can count on me, I promise!’ And without even another word she raced out the door back toward her mansion. She could not let anything happen to these woods.

Eventually, she reached her mansion and skidded to a halt.

‘Gemma!’ her mother exclaimed, ‘I was beginning to wonder where you were! Been in

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the woods again? Wait, have you been running?’

Gemma, completely breathless, panted, ‘Mum, you CAN’T sell the woods!! YOU JUST CAN’T!’ She saw the quizzical expressions on their faces. ‘I overheard you talking,’ she lied.

Gemma’s father, a regal-looking man, boomed, ‘And why is that?’

‘Because I love the woods!’ Gemma said in an anguished voice.

Gemma’s father glared, ‘And you think that Mr Stone will change his mind because of a mere child? His workers are coming here first thing tomorrow. That’s final!’ and he disappeared behind his newspaper.

But Gemma refused to give up. ‘You have to

listen to me! I AM A CHILD, BUT I DESERVE

TO HAVE MY VOICE HEARD!

The forest is too important! Forests are the lungs of the Earth, they give us oxygen. If all the trees go, we won’t have any! And the factories that these trees are being chopped down for are just causing more harm!

Their fumes are causing pollution, it’s hurting the Earth! And think of all the animals who won’t have a home anymore — IT’S JUST NOT RIGHT!’

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Gemma finished furiously, her face ablaze with passion.

Gemma’s parents were shocked at how beyond her years she sounded.

Gemma’s mother spoke, her voice strained, ‘I never thought of that Gemma. How wrong we’ve been.’ She glanced at her husband, who nodded in agreement. ‘We never realised just how big the consequences of this action would be. You’re absolutely right, just because you’re young doesn’t mean you can’t persuade minds and touch hearts. We’re not selling the forest. How could we? It’s staying.’

Gemma jumped for joy, THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH!’ Gemma hugged her parents and ran

‘YES!

back to tell her new friends that she had succeeded.

That day, there was a massive celebration in the Evermore Tree.

After that, Gemma continued visiting the forest, but this time she would bring her parents along. Sometimes, she would catch a glimpse of a golden trail and would smile. She had proved you were never too young to make a difference.

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The Box of Hope

By Aditi Gandhi

‘The journey of a thousand miles begins with a small step.’ This is the story of how this year’s recipient of the UN Global Citizen of the World award started her journey . . .

Nabila was reading a book, sitting by the window of her villa in Dubai. The gentle and warm-hearted twelve-year-old, who lived with her parents and grandfather, was looking forward to school after the long spring break.

The next day during lunchbreak, as her friends were chatting about all the fun they had during the vacation, Nabila’s gaze was fixated on the old school gardener sitting nearby under a tree.

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She somehow felt he was not looking his usual energetic self.

‘As-salamu-alaykum, Abdul. Are you feeling all right?’ she asked as she walked up to him.

‘Wa-alaykumu-as-salam, Nabila. I am fine. I just sat down to eat a quick lunch.’

Nabila saw a small packet of biscuits in his hands and asked if this was all that he was eating. Abdul responded that he was cutting back on his meals as Ramadan was just around the corner and he wanted to save money to send Eid gifts for his family back in his home country. After talking to him a bit more, Nabila learnt that he had four children and his meagre earnings could only provide enough to send his two boys to school while the girls stayed home to help their mother. She also found out that other school workers were in a similar situation, struggling to save money for their families.

Abdul’s story broke her heart and tears welled up in her eyes. Nabila was devastated to know that two girls, nearly as old as her, didn’t receive primary education. She wished that she could do something for all the workers who worked very

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hard each day.

When Nabila returned home, she was welcomed with a warm embrace from her ever-smiling grandfather, who she dearly loved. Every day they would take a stroll in the park, but sensing Nabila was feeling low that day, grandfather decided to take her to a place that preserved the true essence of old Dubai — the historic neighbourhood of Bastakia! The nearby mosque was a grand spectacle with intricate carvings and a lovely dome. There were majestic dhows sailing on the creek with date trees swaying in the gentle breeze. The seagulls made fluttering noises, adding to the serene ambience. Gazing at the wind towers, Nabila was intrigued to see how different this place was from the modern city where you had to arch your neck to view the dazzling skyscrapers! Wanting to learn more about her culture and customs, Nabila asked her grandfather about Ramadan.

Grandfather said, ‘Nabila, we are blessed with rich traditions and there is no better time to experience it than during the holy month of Ramadan. It is the time for fasting, prayer, spiritual re-

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flection and self-improvement. Charity is one of the five pillars of Islam and even one small deed of kindness can do wonders. You know, when I was a child, I used to collect dates from these very trees and distribute them to the needy.’

But Nabila’s mind was somewhere else. Looking at her lost in her thoughts, Grandfather curiously asked what had happened and Nabila related her conversation with Abdul.

In response he suggested, ‘Why don’t you surprise him with some lunch tomorrow? I’m sure he will be extremely happy.’

The next day, during break time, Nabila eagerly ran to where Abdul sat and handed him some food that she had brought. Touched by the gesture, the gardener sincerely thanked her. She then joined her friends and narrated the whole experience, asking them for ideas on how they could help.

Just then the bell rang to signal the end of recess and Nabila and her friends scurried across the field as they didn’t want to be late for their next class: Art and Craft.

Settling down in their seats, the children were

RING!!!

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just in time as their teacher, Ms Shama, walked in.

‘All right everyone, did you bring the waste materials that I had asked for?’ she enquired.

The whole class answered unanimously,

‘Yes, Ms!’

Ms Shama replied, ‘Good, so let’s get creative and make something useful from the recyclables that you have brought. Instead of simply discarding them, let’s reuse them!’

The children began dutifully creating innovative craft items and at the end of the lesson they presented their fascinating masterpieces. Seeing this, a brilliant idea popped up in Nabila’s head, as if a light bulb had switched on in her brain.

As all the friends were walking back home, Nabila excitedly told them about her plan.

‘Remember I was telling you that we should do something to help the school workers? Why don’t we raise some money to buy them Eid presents?’

Her friend Amna chirped up, ‘But how are we going to get the money?’

‘Well, I know some talented girls who can make amazing items out of waste materials that we can sell to generate money. Who wouldn’t want 139

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to have such lovely works of art in their home?’

Nabila said, with a gleam in her eyes.

‘Yes, you’re right, Nabila,’ said Fatima, ‘and we can ask Ms Shama to help us!’

The next morning all the girls dashed towards the art room to meet Ms Shama where they retold everything that had happened and what they were planning to do.

‘We were hoping that you would guide us in this project,’ finished Amna.

With a beaming smile Ms Shama said, ‘That’s such an ingenious idea! I’m so proud of all of you! Why don’t we use our upcoming school funfair to host your Craft Sale? And let me tell you, I wouldn’t be surprised to see your stall flooded with customers!’

With a month to go before the fair, a collection drive was launched in school, motivating students to deposit trash materials like plastic containers, glass bottles, newspapers, magazines, cartons and other items for the campaign. This was accompanied by spreading awareness on sustainability, waste segregation and recycling.

Every morning, Nabila and her friends would visit

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different classes to educate the students about the importance of the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, and urge them to join the initiative.

In her group of friends, Nusrat was autistic but equally committed to making a difference. Recognising her special aptitude for drawing, Nabila allotted her the task of making colourful posters for the awareness campaign. Nabila was determined to achieve her mission and through collective efforts she was successful in inspiring everyone wholeheartedly.

After weeks of relentless work, the students had created splendid crafts and the stock of saleable items was finally ready. On the day of the funfair, Nabila and her friends enthusiastically decorated their stall and neatly displayed their creations: beautiful lamps made out of plastic spoons and cups, bead jewellery, garden pots, pen holders, flower vases, bookmarks, storage containers, photo frames and more. An hour into the fair, their stall was jam packed and the items were selling out quickly. By the end of the day, every single piece had been sold off and they hugged each other rejoicingly!

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The next day, Ms Shama assisted the children in buying goodies like toys, books, clothes, school bags and stationery for the workers’ children.

These were then packed in nicely decorated boxes. Nabila called them ‘Boxes of Hope’. Even after buying the gifts, there was enough money to spare and everyone decided to give it to Abdul to send his daughters to school.

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The following week, the school principal organised a grand celebration inviting all the workers, cleaners and gardeners to show the school’s appreciation for their earnest hard work, dedication and commitment. The school auditorium was furnished to resemble a majlis.

Sofas and cushions were set on the carpets, which had complex Arabic design patterns. Qahwa and dates were served while soothing music set the ambience. The prized gift boxes were placed next to the stage under a banner that read ‘Shukran’.

Addressing the gathering, the principal told everyone about Nabila’s efforts and how the students had worked as a team to transform a wonderful idea into reality. Not only had they supported a noble cause, they had also promoted environmental sustainability. It was also announced that the canteen would be providing free meals for all workers during Ramadan.

But the greatest moment was when it was revealed that the ‘Best out of Waste’ craft sale would be made a regular feature to help the school workers.

One by one, the workers were invited on stage

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as Nabila and her friends happily handed out the boxes. Finally, as Abdul received his ‘Box of Hope’, he approached Nabila with joyful tears and exclaimed, ‘You are true to your name, Nabila – compassionate and kind-hearted.’

What Nabila felt was unexplainable. But in that moment, she realised how fulfilling it was to bring a smile to someone’s face. Through the ‘Box of Hope’, Nabila knew she had found her purpose!

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The Earth

By Joshua Melwin

It was dawn in the UAE. Ahmed and his adopted brothers Tom, Tim and Kevin didn’t know this day would change their lives and their understanding of what is good and what is bad for Mother Earth.

The four brothers were good friends, although Ahmed and Tim sometimes didn’t get along as they were always competing against each other.

Tim was overconfident but they were still friends.

The brothers were inseparable.

One fine morning, after finishing their morning routines, they decided to play and went to the playground.

‘You can’t catch me, Ahmed,’ said Tim in a mocking voice.

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SUDDENLY

everything went black and the brothers were standing in the middle of a giant stadium filled with aliens! They also had an audience of aliens with strange appearances.

Some aliens looked like birds, some had tentacles and some looked like humans.

‘We present to you Earth’s mightiest champions, who will be risking their lives in the Annual Trash Games,’ said Matt Marshmallow, the host of this competition.

‘Now you may ask about the Trash Games.

Well! the Trash Games are a series of challenges,’ said Matt Marshmallow. He also added that the winning participants will win a trophy and go home, while the losers have to stay and work in the recycling centre on the planet.

‘But we aren’t Earth’s mightiest champions, we are just kids,’ said Ahmed.

‘That’s all right, you will be competing with kids from other planets,’ said a volunteer.

‘Ma’am, who are you and where are we now?’

asked Kevin.

‘I am a volunteer and you are in a space stadium on the planet Mint Rox,’ said the

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volunteer. ‘You are here to participate in three different competitions. There are four teams of participants from three different heavily polluted planets.’

‘You will all be staying in your cabin. You will be informed about the first challenge through a note. If you need anything, please do not hesitate to call us through these holographic watches,’ said another volunteer.

‘WOW! This is amazing! We might be the first

humans to meet aliens,’ said Tom.

‘It is called extraterrestrial life. Whoa! Look at this cabin, it looks beautiful but it’s kind of small and there are only two bedrooms.’ said Kevin.

‘We are four, so where will we sleep?’

questioned Tim.

‘Yeah, come and see this, we have bunk beds!’

screamed Ahmed.

The brothers decided to share the rooms. They chatted for some time. Getting tired, they went to bed and slept peacefully.

‘Hey guys, the first note has arrived,’ said Kevin excitedly. ‘Who is going to read the note?’

‘I want to read it,’ said Tom firmly.

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Tom started reading the note aloud. ‘The first challenge is a race which will be happening in Candy Park tonight and each team will be picked up by a spacecraft at noon.’

‘Where is our spacecraft?’ asked Tim impatiently, looking at the time.

‘It will be arriving soon, don’t be in a hurry,’

said Ahmed.

‘GUYS, IT’S HERE!’ shrieked Tom in delight.

‘Wow, it looks astonishing,’ said Tim.

The brothers arrived at Candy Park. ‘Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first challenge of the Trash Games. Today we will have a race,’ declared Matt Marshmallow.

The referee of the game came forward and introduced the teams. ‘Our teams are Team Drax, Team Scales, Team Dot and Team Earth. And be cautious, as the floors of Candy Park are very sticky and smelly, like garbage. You must at least get the third place to win,’ announced the referee.

‘I am going to beat you in the race,’ said Tim pompously, with a smirk on his face.

‘No, I’m going to beat you,’ said Ahmed.

‘Guys, stop fighting,’ yelled Kevin.

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It was time for the race and the referee started counting. All the teams were set to run.

‘READ SET, GO!’ came the announcement.

The teams started to run.

Y,

‘I can’t tolerate this smell, it is like landfills from Earth,’ said Ahmed.

Team Earth was in the last place as they were not able to withstand the smell, despite the fact that Tim and Ahmed were ahead.

‘OH NO! My foot got stuck in sewage!’ said Kevin. Tom helped Kevin to get his foot out of the sewage.

‘We came second!’ exclaimed Tim and Ahmed.

‘Your whole team has to cross the finish line,’ said the referee. The rest of Team Earth

arrived last. Team Drax was in first place, Team Scales came second, Team Dot came third.

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‘Unfortunately, Team Earth has lost,’ said the referee.

‘Only a miracle can save us now,’ said Tim. Just then, they heard a voice call out, ‘Wait, Team Scales have been cheating, their shoes are made out of Funny-Rubber, a material that is stick-resistant!’

Team Scales was disqualified, which paved the way for Team Earth to move to third place and proceed with the rest of the challenges.

The brothers went back to their cabin and felt bad that most of the places on Earth are filled with garbage.

‘It was a lucky day for us. If we want to go home, we have to work together as a team and try our best instead of competing against each other,’ advised Kevin.

Now the group decided to learn more about pollution and recycling to tackle the rest of the challenges, as one of the volunteers briefed them.

The next note arrived. ‘What is the next challenge?’ inquired Tom impatiently.

‘Well, it says the next challenge will be a recycling challenge. We will be picked up in the

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same way and this time the challenge will be happening in a place called Mint Recycling Centre,’ read Ahmed.

The brothers arrived at the Mint Recycling Centre. Matt Marshmallow welcomed the teams.

It was a recycling challenge and the teams had to recycle the waste materials by throwing them in the right bins.

‘Come on, guys, we have learnt about this,’ recalled Ahmed.

‘Remember, blue is for paper, grey or black for tins and cans, red for plastics, green for glass, yellow for textiles and lime green is for food waste,’ explained Tim. The recycling challenge started, and Team Earth came second as they worked as a team this time. Team Drax lost. After a hard day, Team Earth went back to their cabin.

They heard someone knocking the door and Tim opened the door. To their surprise, it was Matt Marshmallow.

‘I’m here to inform you that your final challenge will be happening tomorrow at Mint Rox Stadium and the winner will go home. It will be a

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quiz on recycling and pollution, so be prepared,’ he instructed them. The brothers discussed more about recycling and pollution and then went to bed.

The next day, they were picked up and were taken to Mint Rox stadium. They were entering the stadium proudly, as they were one of the finalists.

‘Both teams, who are equally capable of winning here, take your seats,’ broadcasted the quiz master. He explained the rules of the quiz: the team should press their buzzer if they know the answer. If they got it wrong, the other team would have a chance to answer.

The quiz started. The quiz master started with the first question, ‘How can we protect groundwater?’

Team Earth hit the buzzer and Tim answered, ‘By drinking less water.’

‘I’m sorry that’s wrong, so the question is passed to team Dot,’ replied the quiz master.

‘We could reduce the usage of chemicals getting mixed with the groundwater,’ answered

Team Dot.

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‘That’s the right answer!’ exclaimed the quiz master.

The quiz continued and at the end it was found that both the teams were tied. The quiz master declared, ‘It’s time for the ultimate tie-breaker question.’ Hearing that, both the teams sat at the edge of their seats nervously.

The question was an open-ended question, ‘How can kids help stop pollution?’

Team Dot hit the buzzer and said, ‘We can’t,

we are just kids.’

‘I’m sorry, I’ve no choice but to pass the question to Team Earth,’ replied the quiz master.

Team Earth enthusiastically answered, ‘We

can do simple stuff like picking up trash and putting it in the right bins.’

‘That was TERRIFIC and Team Earth wins!’

bellowed the quiz master.

The brothers, who couldn’t believe it, jumped with joy. In just a moment they heard Matt Marshmallow’s voice proudly proclaiming, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, these kids have won the Trash Games!’ Everyone applauded.

‘And here is your trophy made out recycled materials. Now you will be teleported back to

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your home,’ said Matt Marshmallow. Feeling elated, the brothers were flying in bliss. Suddenly everything went black and the brothers were back home.

They shouted, ‘Mum and Dad, we were

teleported to an alien planet and we are finally back with this trophy after a long week!’

‘You kids have good imaginations. You were only out for an hour,’ said Mum.

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The Children of Zayed Al-Khair

by Suhaila Abdelhaleem Mansour Mohamed

Our story starts on a happy Eid day in the United Arab Emirates, while families were gathering to enjoy the festivities and drawing closer to each other. Shaikha and her family celebrated the joyful occasion with special Emirati traditions such as preparing delicious food and desserts and getting new outfits ready for Eid. Shaikha is a young girl who lives in the United Arab Emirates with her parents and her two brothers, Hamdan and Hamad. On the day before Eid, Shaikha and her family started getting ready for the three blessed days ahead.

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Emiratis make tasty, traditional dishes for Eid like sweet luqaimat pastry balls, wheat porridge with meat called harees, and nakhi, a dish of spicy chickpeas. The girls wear henna designs, which is a common custom in Gulf countries. Eid clothes are chosen and sweets are prepared to be given out to children after Eid prayers.

On the first day of Eid, the family woke up early.

They washed for wudu, put on their new clothes and made their morning prayers at home. Then they joined the Eid prayers at the special prayer area in nearby Sharjah. Afterwards, people started to wish each other a happy Eid and Shaikha gave out sweets to the children there, who were having a wonderful time, delighted with their lovely sweets and clothes. From a distance, Shaikha noticed a little girl wearing shabby clothes who didn’t seem to be enjoying Eid like the rest of the children.

Shaikha went up to her and gave her some sweets.

She sat by the girl and asked her why she was sad and sitting alone, with no friends.

The girl burst out crying and said, ‘I’m an

orphan and I live with my sick grandmother. We can’t afford new clothes or anything special to 160

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celebrate Eid. But alhamdulillah, I’m thankful for everything we have.’ Shaikha felt sorry for the

little girl when she heard her story and decided to give her the eidiya money she’d received from her parents that morning. She convinced her brothers to chip in with their eidiyas too.

Shaikha gave the little girl more sweets and said, ‘this money is an eidiya from me to you.’ The girl accepted the gift and thanked her. ‘What’s your name and where do you live?’ asked Shaikha.

‘I’m Afra,’ she said, ‘and my house isn’t far

from here.’

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Shaikha recognised the place where Afra lived and was happy it was near her house. ‘I’m going to visit Afra often and help her,’ she said to herself.

Shaikha and her family went home to finish their Eid celebrations, which included a visit to her grandparents. It was a lovely day for them all!

A few days later, Shaikha started dropping by to see Afra and helping out as much as she could.

She met Afra’s sick grandmother, who was sweet and kind. When Shaikha told her brothers what she was doing, they were glad she was thinking of others and decided to join in. The three of them started bringing gifts of food, toys and clothes to Afra every day.

One day, they found her crying. ‘WHAT

HAPPENED?’ they asked.

‘My grandmother’s very ill and I don’t know what to do.’

After some quick thinking, Shaikha and her brothers rushed home to get some of the money they’d saved up. They called the doctor in to examine Afra’s grandmother and went to the chemist’s for the medicine he said she should take. It made her feel better. Afra was delighted and thanked

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them for their help. Her grandmother added her thanks too, along with prayers for them to find success and good fortune in their lives.

A month passed in this way and Shaikha’s parents noticed their children were behaving strangely and things seemed to be disappearing from their house. Their father decided to follow the children and find out what was going on. He was surprised to see them taking food from home and giving it to a little girl at a nearby house. After his children left, he knocked on the girl’s door. When she opened it, he noticed the house was humble and that she lived with an old woman. ‘Who are you?’ he asked the little girl.

‘I’m Afra and this is my grandmother,’ she said.

‘And who are you, sir?’

‘I’m the father of the girl who just brought you food,’ he said.

‘Yes, lovely, kind Shaikha who’s been helping us for some time now.’

The father was very proud of his children for their good deeds and felt he’d brought them up well. But he thought they were wrong not to have told him everything.

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‘Do you go to school, my dear?’ he asked Afra.

‘No,’ she replied.

‘Do come in, sir,’ said Afra’s grandmother. ‘What wonderfully brought up children you have! Afra doesn’t go to school because we’re poor. We don’t have money for school — I’m ill and we have no source of income.’

‘Good things will come, dear lady, in sha Allah,’ he replied, then said goodbye to them.

When he got home, Shaikha and her brothers were in their room. He told his wife how they had been helping little Afra and her grandmother every day, by giving them food and money saved up from their own eidiyas. She was incredibly happy and proud of her young children.

‘We must tell the children we’ve found them out,’ said her husband, ‘and warn them to let us know before they do anything like this again.

We’ll help them with their kindness to others, but they mustn’t have anything to do with strangers behind our backs, even if they’re doing good.’

He called his sons and daughter. ‘What have you been doing today, dear children?’ he asked.

They were good children and didn’t know how to

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lie. ‘We were helping Afra and her grandmother.’

‘Who are Afra and her grandmother? And how were you helping them?’

‘We met Afra on the first day of Eid. We were helping her with food, clothes and money from our eidiyas.’

‘That’s very kind of you. But you should have told me first. You must never talk to strangers without us knowing.’

‘Yes father, we’re sorry. But we were afraid you wouldn’t let us help.’

‘Why would I stop you from doing good?

Sheikh Zayed, the founding father of our nation, was a man of good deeds — a man of al khair — who helped everyone in the country and beyond.

That’s why we call him Zayed Al-Khair. We all learn from him and I’m very happy with what you’ve done. But I would have preferred you to tell me.

As long as you’re doing good, I’ll never say no to you. I want you to know that I followed you and met Afra and her grandmother. I’ve decided to help them too.’

‘How are you going to help them, dear father?’

‘By repairing their house and sending Afra to 165

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school. And I’m going to bring the doctor in to check on her grandmother.’ This news made the children very happy.

A few days later, their father enrolled Afra in the same school as his children. Afra was in Hamdan’s class, in grade one. Shaikha was in grade five and Hamad in grade four. The children met Afra every day at school. She was so happy because their family had changed her life and her grandmother’s, lending a hand to help with their poverty and saving Afra from a missed education.

Now, she was going to school and learning like all the other children. She would never forget what they’d done for her.

Afra went to school regularly now, but some children in class bullied her because her family was poor. Hamdan noticed and told them to stop, but they didn’t do as he said. He told Shaikha what happened and she said, ‘I must go and

defend her MYSELF.’

The next day, Shaikha told the teacher about the bullying and what the children had said to Afra. The teacher was very angry to hear about such cruelty and mischief. In class, she said, ‘I

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know you’ve been bullying Afra. This kind of behaviour is morally wrong and forbidden in Islam.

God Almighty says in the Holy Quran: Believers, no one group of men should jeer at another, who may after all be better than them; no one group of women should jeer at another, who may after all be better than them; do not speak ill of one another; do not use offensive nicknames for one another.

How bad it is to be called a mischief-maker after accepting faith! Those who do not repent of this behaviour are evildoers.

(Surat Al Hujurat, Verse 11)1

The teacher continued, ‘Bullying is completely unacceptable in the United Arab Emirates, it is not in its people’s nature nor part of their values.’

After hearing their teacher’s words, the children felt guilty. Everyone apologised to Afra and promised the bullying would never happen again.

Afra continued her education. She loved to 1. The English translation of the Quranic verse (49:11) is from Abdel Haleem, M. A. S. The Qur’an, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008.

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learn and did well at her studies, soon becoming one of the top students and often receiving honours from the school administration. Shaikha and her family were delighted they were able to transform Afra’s life by doing good. Now she was an outstanding student and her life was a success. Afra and her grandmother were full of happiness.

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Aamna and the Magic Henna

By Aamna Hamad Salem Obaid Saif Alsuwaidi

Tomorrow was the first day of Eid Al-Fetr. Aamna needed to get ready for this happy occasion she’d waited so long for. ‘Let’s see . . . clothes . . .

shoes . . . OH MY GOODNESS! I forgot to put henna on my hands,’ muttered Aamna. She

rushed to ask her mother for help.

‘Don’t worry, dear, we still have plenty of time,’ said Aamna’s mother reassuringly.

Aamna’s mother started calling henna shops, but it was no use. They were all too busy to take a new booking because it was the day before Eid and the streets were crowded 171

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with people. Aamna was very sad. She always decorated her hands with henna for Eid. She cried alone for a while, then hurried to find her friend Jammool and tell him what was bothering her. Jammool was the loyal camel who lived in her father’s stable. Aamna noticed a scrap of paper glinting in the daylight. It was lying in the sand on their farm. She went to pick it up. ‘Um Ahmed’s Henna Designs’ was written on it. Aamna almost jumped for joy when she found the card, because this was a shop her mother hadn’t already called. She asked her friend Jammool to go with her to search for the shop in the middle of the desert.

Aamna carefully climbed onto Jammool’s back and they went to look for the address on the card she’d found. Half an hour later, a colourful tent appeared in the distance. There was thick fog everywhere and Aamna had to try hard to read the sign attached to the middle of the tent. she shrieked when she managed to read it. ‘I’m so happy! Wait outside for me, please, until I finish putting my henna on.’

‘We made it, Jammool!’

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Aamna went into the tent. Um Ahmed, who was standing in the centre, called out to her, ‘Don’t be afraid, dear, come sit by me.’ Aamna sat by the old woman, waiting to see what would happen next. Um Ahmed started drawing beautiful henna patterns on Aamna’s hands.

When she finished, Aamna thanked her, ‘What wonderful designs these are!’

‘My dear little girl, this is magic henna!’ said Um Ahmed. ‘You must figure out its secret yourself. The magic wears off when the henna completely fades away from your hands.’

‘Hurry up, Aamna, we need to get home soon!’

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Jammool uttered these words, taking Aamna by surprise.

‘WHAT???!!’ she said. ‘Can you talk, Jammool?’

‘Yes, thanks to the magic henna,’ said Jammool confidently, with a happy smile. As they were talking to each other on their way back, Aamna and Jammool saw another camel crying in pain at the side of the road. ‘That’s my friend Hassoon.

He’s been complaining of a pain in his stomach for a long time now. That’s how it is with many of our camel friends,’ said Jammool glumly.

‘Poor camel, I wish I knew why he was in pain so I could help him,’ said Aamna sadly. The two friends continued their journey, then Jammool suddenly stopped, reached down with his head and opened his mouth to eat a plastic bag that had been left lying in the sand. ‘Stop, Jammool!

You can’t eat THAT; it’s not fit to eat!’

‘But it’s just a little snack before supper,’ said Jammool innocently.

‘No wonder Hassoon had a stomach-ache. He must have eaten a plastic bag too,’ added Aamna.

‘Is it really bad for me?’ asked Jammool in surprise.

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‘It’s not just this bag, it’s unsafe to eat any type of rubbish,’ Aamna replied. ‘I need to find a way to fix this problem and help these poor camels.’

The next morning, Aamna celebrated the first day of Eid Al-Fetr with her family and her friend Jammool. She ate all the delicious food her mother made. In the evening, her friends Aliaa and Fatima came to visit and they just loved Um Ahmed’s beautiful henna patterns.

Later, Aamna decided to tell her friends why she was so worried and how hard she’d been trying to find a good way to solve the problem.

‘When I was with my friend Jammool, I saw a lot of camels looking pale and tired,’ she said, her voice sounding sad. ‘Something strange and unnatural is going on with camels and it’s happening to more and more of them. They’re eating rubbish and plastic bags left behind in the desert.’

‘I’ve read about this: fifty percent of camels in the United Arab Emirates die because they’ve eaten rubbish bags,’ replied Aliaa.

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desert and get rid of this dangerous rubbish?’

said Aamna determinedly.

The next day the three friends worked together on cleaning up the desert. They put up signs to remind people to take care of the environment and throw litter in the proper places.

And we mustn’t forget our friend Jammool, who also helped Aamna and her friends with their campaign.

Gradually, the henna started to fade from Aamna’s hands and — just as Um Ahmed had said — its magic effects began to disappear as well.

‘Now the henna’s all gone,’ said Aamna, ‘It didn’t last long, Jammool, but we’ll still always be friends.

And maybe I’ll go and see Um Ahmed again for Eid Al-Adha.’

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Guardians of the Seas

By Nour Ahmed Alkhatib

Once upon a time, a beautiful baby girl was born in a small city. Her parents were delighted with their new daughter. They named her Lulwa, which means pearl, because her eyes were as lovely as pearls. Lulwa’s mother was extremely goodlooking. She was a flight attendant and Lulwa missed her terribly when she was away for work.

Lulwa grew to be three years old and she still missed her always-travelling mother and needed her very much. Lulwa’s mother had no choice but to leave her job to look after her daughter and they had to make do with the money Lulwa’s father sent them every month. Time passed and soon Lulwa was four.

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‘Mummy, I’m bored of staying at home

all the time. I want to go to school and play with the other children,’ said Lulwa.

A week later, Lulwa started school and made a new friend on her first day. Lulwa called her friend Mimi, but her real name was Maryam. The next day, Mimi and Lulwa made a plan: Mimi would beg her mother to take her to Lulwa’s house and Lulwa would tell her mother she wanted to invite Mimi to visit them at their small home. Each of the girls got her mother to agree.

One day later, Mimi went to Lulwa’s house after school. She noticed Lulwa’s father wasn’t there.

‘Where’s your father?’ Mimi asked.

‘He’s away and I haven’t seen him for a long time,’ said Lulwa, looking sad. ‘But never mind about that now.’

The girls began to play and have fun. They had the best time! Dinner was ready at five o’clock. They sat at the dining table, which was brown and had four chairs. The food was simple, but delicious. After they ate, the girls did their homework and read stories. Then, at half past six, Mimi went home.

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A few days later, a school trip to the beach was announced. As soon as Lulwa heard about it, she went happily to tell Mimi.

‘Have you heard the news? We’re going to the beach!’ she said.

‘Yes! That’s the best news I’ve heard in

my whole life!’ said Mimi.

Lulwa and Mimi told their mothers about the trip and they agreed the girls could go. They were so excited they could hardly wait. When the big day finally arrived, they packed their things, climbed on to the bus and sat together, planning what to do when they got there. They decided to start with a search for sea creatures and special seashells. The journey to the beach was fun: they spent all their time on the bus singing and talking.

As soon as they arrived, they set off to look for creatures and seashells. A gentle breeze ruffled Lulwa’s golden hair and the sea sparkled under the bright rays of the sun. How perfectly happy they were! They played for a long time, then decided to have a rest and sit by the shore. Lulwa and Mimi noticed some empty juice cartons and plastic boxes lying on the beach, so they collected

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the litter and threw it away.

Suddenly, they heard the words,

‘THANK YOU!’

Puzzled, each of them thought the other one had spoken, and asked her about it.

‘It wasn’t me who said that!’ was the answer in both cases. The only creature in sight was a little turtle. Could it have been the turtle who thanked them? They were astonished to discover the words really did come from the turtle because — as far as they knew — turtles didn’t talk. Lulwa rubbed her eyes to make sure she was seeing straight.

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‘Are you the one who thanked us?’ she asked in surprise.

‘Yes,’ said the turtle.

‘But why?’ asked Lulwa, with a look of amazement.

‘Because you cleared the rubbish off the beach,’ said the turtle. ‘Follow me, you two,’ she added, as she headed into the sea.

‘Follow you? But how will we breathe underwater?’ said Mimi.

‘You’ll see,’ said the turtle. Filled with wonder, they eagerly followed her through a tunnel that led into the depths of the sea. All of a sudden, they sprouted fins and gills and turned into two fishes!

‘Awesome!’ said Mimi, ‘So this is how we

get to breathe under water.’

‘That’s right, Mimi,’ said the turtle. ‘Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name’s Sulafa and I’m a green sulahfaah — a green turtle. I noticed you care about things being clean and tidy, so I invited you here to show you how much waste humans throw into the sea. They treat the sea like it’s a rubbish dump.’

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Lulwa and Mimi were stunned to discover they could breathe under water, but they were even more shocked to find the sea they were swimming in wasn’t at all as clear and clean as it looked from the outside. It was full of litter! A short time later, Murjana the mermaid joined them. She had a shiny green tail and curly red hair.

‘My friend Sulafa brought you here so you can go through this doorway — the Time Doorway — and find out what the sea looked like thousands of years ago,’ said Murjana.

‘Awesome! Let’s go!’ said Lulwa and Mimi at the same time.

Murjana led them to the Time Doorway. It was blue and gave out a dazzling golden glow, making Mimi and Lulwa even more excited to travel back through time. When they opened the Doorway and went inside, it started spinning incredibly fast. Suddenly, it stopped moving and everything went quiet. The jolt from stopping made them feel as if they were being woken from a dream. Now the sea looked like clear, turquoise glass; it was full of pretty, colourful little fish darting playfully around the corals. This was more beautiful than

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any sea they’d ever seen before.

They swam for a while, exploring the area around them, then Mimi caught sight of a huge, sharp-toothed shark heading in their direction.

‘Oh my God! There’s a shark coming!’

she said to Lulwa, in a panic.

They were terrified and tried to think of a way out of this disaster. They had to find a plan to escape without being seen by the shark.

‘I know!’ Lulwa announced, ‘Do you remember when we learned in science that sharks have poor eyesight?’

‘Yes,’ said Mimi.

‘Well, we need to head towards the Doorway, but we’ve got to go slow, so the shark doesn’t see us or sense we’re here. We mustn’t swim fast so we don’t attract its attention.’

‘Yes, good idea!’ said Mimi. The girls began moving very slowly until they reached the Doorway. They took one last look at the fascinating turquoise sea and returned, through the Doorway, to the sea in today’s world.

‘We’ve decided to help you and your friends clean up the sea,’ said Lulwa to Sulafa.

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The turtle thanked her and they got started on clearing away the litter. When they’d finished, Sulafa said, ‘Do you two know what you’ve just done?’

‘What?’ asked Lulwa.

‘You saved my life. And my turtle friends’ lives as well.’

‘But HOW?’ asked Mimi.

‘Turtles think plastic — and other types of human waste — is food and they suffocate when they eat it. You saved us from suffocating,’ said the turtle.

Lulwa said, feeling quite impressed.

A little later, Mimi cried out, ‘It’s

‘That’s wonderful!’

getting late. We should go back to the beach before someone notices we’re missing.’

Mimi and Lulwa thanked Sulafa for the exciting adventure and she said goodbye to them, adding, ‘Actually, I should be thanking you.’

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YET

But the adventure wasn’t over . While they were swimming to shore, a plastic bag got tangled in Lulwa’s fin. It was such a scary moment for her. Luckily Sulafa and Murjana saw what happened and quickly came to help. They tried to get the bag off Lulwa and, after a long struggle, finally managed to get rid of it. Lulwa and Mimi said goodbye to their friends again and went back through the tunnel to the beach.

Mimi looked at the sea in awe and said, ‘I can hardly believe everything that’s just happened! We’ve got to make a stand about what these poor creatures are going through because of us humans.’

‘We have to spread the word that it’s crucial to protect the sea,’ said Lulwa enthusiastically. A brilliant thought flashed into her head, ‘Why don’t we start a club at school

to help students understand why it’s dangerous to throw litter in the sea?’

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Mimi jumped up and said, ‘What an amazing idea! What do you think of the name,

Lulwa and Mimi: Guardians of the Seas?

‘That’s an awesome name!’ said Lulwa with a

wide grin.

Lulwa and Mimi didn’t waste any time. They told their science teacher about their idea, and she loved it and helped them make it happen. The club organised regular beach clean-ups and club members made signs to put up about the importance of preserving the sea environment. At the end of the school year, Lulwa and Mimi looked back at everything they’d achieved with pride.

The beach was beautiful again. On one of their clean-up trips, they caught a fleeting glimpse of a green turtle between the waves. It looked at them and smiled and then disappeared into the faraway horizon.

The End.

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The Bracelet of Hope

By Ward Wissam Al Halabi

BOOM . . . BANG . . . CRASH . . . The smell of fear. BAM ! Oof! HELP ME! Oh my God! This is what Aql and Amal heard all the time.

Aql and Amal were twins who shared

everything equally between them. They were intelligent and hardworking.

Aql’s inventions could be found in every corner of their house and in the homes of their neighbours and relatives. Anyone facing a conundrum would ask Aql to come to the rescue.

But if someone was sad or ill, they came to Amal for comfort and she gave them patience, optimism and the strength to carry on.

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The twins were known for their strange — and maybe magical — gadgets. They lived in a country where war had replaced peace.

1: At Night

It was eight o’clock in the evening.

‘It’s time to go to the secret laboratory,’ said Aql. ‘I’ll keep a lookout,’ said Amal.

The secret lab was in a mountain cave opposite their house. Only Aql and Amal knew about it. While Aql was working, a bomb fell on his lab and completely destroyed it. Terrified, Amal ran towards him, screaming, ‘Aql, are you hurt?’

She heard a faint voice calling, ‘Amal! I’m down here.’

‘What have you done to yourself? How did you end up like this?’ said Amal.

‘I drank the shrinking potion I invented so I could get out of the cave. And now, I’ll go back to normal by drinking the same potion again. But unfortunately, I’ve lost my lab.’

‘Don’t be sad. We’ll find somewhere else.’

They hurried home.

2: In the Morning

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It was the start of a new day. Amal and Aql came downstairs feeling optimistic.

‘Shall we take the bus today? Or walk?’ Amal asked.

‘We’ll walk as usual,’ said Aql, laughing. ‘The bus won’t come anyway because of the fuel shortage.

We’ll feel warmer when we’re moving. Let’s run, so we can beat the bullets.’

On their way to school, Amal blurted out a question, sounding surprised, ‘Aql, have you noticed the trees have disappeared from the sides of the road?’

‘Yes, unfortunately. People have been using wood from the trees for fuel. They need it to cook with or to keep warm. That’s why they chop down the trees.’

This made them both very sad.

They arrived at school, only to find it was closed.

A sign on the gate said: ‘School is closed until further notice. We apologise to our young students.’

Aql was furious. ‘HOW LONG ARE THINGS GOING TO GO ON LIKE THIS?’ he asked Amal.

‘I’m sure you’ll be the one to find a solution,’ said Amal.

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3: In the Evening

That evening, their father came home looking happy.

‘You look like you have good news to share,’ said their mother.

‘I’ve got a new job in the United Arab Emirates and we’ll be moving there next week.’

The children’s faces lit up with joy.

‘It’s time for our adventure to start. I must find the solution over there,’ said Aql. For the first time in ages, they fell asleep peacefully.

4: Saying Goodbye to Friends

The next day, Aql and Amal said goodbye to their friends.

‘Promise me, friends, you’ll plant a tree every day,’ said Aql, ‘and I promise to find a solution to all our problems.’

‘Look at this bracelet Aql invented,’ said Amal, ‘I’ll wear it around my wrist. Every time you plant a tree, it’ll light up and generate energy for Aql to use in his inventions.’

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Their friends promised Amal and Aql they’d continue to plant trees regularly.

5: Arriving in the United Arab Emirates

Within a week, the family arrived in the United Arab Emirates. They received a warm welcome from the airport employees, who greeted them with lovely words. The best greeting was, ‘Welcome to your second home.’ It delighted them and chased away their fears.

Their eyes darted continuously left and right, taking in all the signs of development and progress that showed the nation’s support and respect for human rights.

That night, Amal and Aql couldn’t sleep — not because of the freezing cold or from fear of blazing war — but because they were looking forward to their first day at school. They wondered what their new school was like. Would they make friends?

Would they find a solution to their problems?

6: First Day at School

Their first day at school was no different from the

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day they arrived in the United Arab Emirates. They were met with the same greeting, ‘Welcome to your second home’, and felt the same amazement.

A teacher took them on a new students’ tour round the school premises. They visited classes, sports courts, the library, the art room, the clinic, the canteen and — most importantly — the laboratory.

After that, they went to class and the teacher introduced them to the others. She said a few words about them, mentioning especially how polite and clever they were.

The students welcomed them:

‘Ahlan wa Sahlan!’, ‘Bienvenue!’, ‘Herzlich Willkommen!’, ‘Huanying!’, ‘Bienvenido!’

They heard it in every language of the world.

7: The Strange Bracelet

The students noticed Amal’s bracelet glowing from time to time. They wanted to know its secret.

‘Amal, what’s that thing you’re wearing on your wrist?’ whispered Sarah.

‘It’s a bracelet,’ said Amal.

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Sarah and their other friends grew even more curious.

Another girl said, ‘What’s up with this bracelet?

I want to know too.’

Amal explained who had made the bracelet and why she was wearing it. The friends felt sad about the children in Amal’s country. They decided to launch a campaign on Earth Day, to encourage students to plant trees. Thanks to them, the bracelet glowed brighter and brighter and Aql was able to gather enough energy to start working on his inventions.

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8: Inspiration

After getting permission from school to spend the time he needed to on his experiments, Aql worked hard in the lab every day. But unfortunately, all his experiments failed. One time he’d emerge from the lab with his hair all messed up, another time with a face that’d turned green.

On some occasions he made it out before the smoke appeared, on others the smoke would be seen before him. But in spite of all this, when his friends rushed to check on him in a panic, he’d smile and say, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine.’

One day, Amal felt the bracelet’s glow was getting weaker. She sent a message to her friends at home and they replied, ‘Things are worse. It’s getting darker. Will you have a solution soon?’

When Aql heard those words, he almost gave up.

‘Is it too late?’ he asked his sister.

‘NO!’ said Amal, ‘Look around you, everyone’s supporting us here and we all trust you. You’re nearly there.’

They went back to class.

‘Our lesson today is about Masdar City in

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Abu Dhabi,’ said the teacher. ‘It’s the first city to be powered by clean energy. It’s a sustainable residential community and is zero-carbon and zero-waste. It depends on solar power, which means it uses the sun’s rays to generate electricity.

Masdar City is part of the One Planet Living programme.’

Aql’s face lit up with signs of optimism again.

Learning about Masdar City had inspired him with an idea for the solution.

‘Why aren’t all cities sustainable?’ he asked.

‘That’s what we aim for in our country,’ said the teacher, ‘but it isn’t easy to find energy that’s friendly to the environment, but also available in enough quantities like the energy we get from oil-based fuels.’

‘I promise you to find a solution. We deserve to live in happy cities,’ said Aql.

9: Keeping the Promise

The twins went back to the lab. Sounds were heard and then smoke appeared.

‘Where are you, Aql?’ said Amal. Aql was nowhere to be seen.

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‘Don’t worry, I’m OK.

I shrunk myself.

When I’m this small, it helps me create my equipment more precisely, with nanotechnology.

All I need from you, Amal, is to come back to the lab in the morning with our friends and I’ll give you the latest update then.’

The next morning, everyone eagerly hurried to meet Aql in the lab.

‘GOOD MORNING, FRIENDS’, said Aql, speaking into a megaphone.

‘Where are you, Aql?’ asked everyone.

‘I’m inside the computer. Come closer, you can see me on the screen. I need your help.’

‘Of course we’ll help you.’

‘Not from out there, I need help in here,’ said Aql. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You have to be the same size as me. Amal, please shrink our friends now.’

Amal gave Khalid and Omar the potion.

‘I’ve always wanted to be a character in a game,’ said Omar. ‘Aql, can I play some of the games on the computer?’

‘Not until I check the code and make sure you’ll be safe,’ said Aql.

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Everyone started to work like bees in a beehive.

Aql gave directions, ‘Turn this way . . . bring that over here,’ and then added to Amal, ‘Press the computer-chip down with your finger, but be careful you don’t squash us.’

‘HA, HA, HA,’ laughed everyone.

‘OK, that’s good. Try again, Amal. Yes! Wonderful! It’s working!

‘And now please sing, clap and jump.’ Amal did all the actions.

‘That one’s working too. We did it!’ said Aql. He looked around suddenly and added, ‘Where’s Khalid disappeared to?’

‘He wouldn’t have gone to play Pac-Man — would he?’ wondered Omar.

‘OH MY GOD, NO! Amal, go to the computer

and turn the game on. Omar and I are going in to save Khalid.’ says Amal.

Amal watched Aql and Omar on the screen and guided them through the maze because Pac-Man was chasing them ‘We’ve found Khalid,’ said Aql, ’but he’s in trouble. The viruses have him cornered! Amal, you

‘OK,’

...

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need to get in here quickly because the only way

to kill these viruses is to zap them with energy.’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Amal. She quickly shrunk herself and joined Aql and their friends in the game.

‘GO ON, AMAL, aim your bracelet at the viruses and wipe them out.’

Amal managed to save everyone with her bracelet.

The teacher walked into the lab and said, ‘Where is everyone?’ Amal and the others suddenly appeared and told her what happened.

‘OH MY GOODNESS! THANK GOD YOU’RE ALL RIGHT,’ said the teacher, sounding scared.

‘Aql, did you get the results you wanted?’

‘Yes!’ said Aql. ‘In that case, why don’t you tell us about your invention?’ she said.

‘Well, there are two small devices. The first one — made of computer chips — converts pressure into energy. It can be laid down under the surface of roads so lorries and cars drive over it, or school playgrounds where children tread on it while they play. It would also work in sports courts and 202

The Bracelet of Hope

horse-racing tracks or even farms where animals move around.’

‘The second device detects sound and turns it into energy. All the noise generated by factories and cars can be converted into clean energy. Children’s laughter, music, singing, birds twittering, even the sounds of explosions can all be transformed into energy that lights the way for children and gives them hope.’

‘You’ve kept your promise to your friends and your country,’ said the teacher.

‘Not just to my country,’ said Aql. ‘Do you remember the first words of greeting we heard here: “Welcome to your second home”? This is my country too and maybe my invention can give back to it in return for the kindness we’ve received here. I hope my invention can travel all over the world on the wings of Dubai Cares and the Arab Hope Makers, to help children everywhere.’

When Aql and Amal’s friends — who came from many different countries — heard Aql’s wishes, they joined him as he took his invention on a trip around the world. They called on international organisations to stop the war in Aql and Amal’s

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country and, together, managed to bring peace and security to every place on earth. And, thanks to Aql’s devices, pollution from oil and gas extraction also stopped.

As for Amal’s bracelet, the children decided to put it on top of Burj Khalifa, where its glowing rays would show the world that we are All schools, hospitals and homes would now have power and heat, and trees would be safe to grow until they touched the sky.

With the power of reason — Aql — and hope — Amal — we can achieve our goals, overcome our difficulties and build the future we aspire to, just like the heroes of our story.

Sustainable Happy Planet.

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One

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Forever Giving

By Alyazia Salaheddin Khamis Alkaabi

It’s a beautiful, cool evening. Tea and coffee cups jostle around the dallahs for refills. The sweets we had earlier were delicious, but we never taste luqaimat like my grandmother’s any more. She used to make us the honeyed pastry balls every day during Ramadan. My grandmother, God rest her soul, preferred to do all her cooking on the outdoor fire. How lovely her fragrant smokeinfused clothes used to smell!

The leaves of palm trees express joy and pride as autumn season is coming, because the leaves of other trees have fallen and turned dry that sometimes make frightening noises, while the

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leaves of palm trees do not fall.

We sit by my grandfather. His wrinkles have grown deeper and the red of his ghutrah seems to blend with the hues of his face. He’s always preferred the red checkered headdress to other colours. He’s over ninety now and his movement has become slow and laboured. His joints trouble him and, since my grandmother died, I hear his nightly groans from leg and back pain. The only medicine he takes is a herbal remedy, which he keeps with him all the time. In the past, he had to struggle for survival, diving for pearls in the Arabian Gulf, then enduring the harsh perils of the desert — on foot as there was no other transport — to sell the pearls in Kuwait. What used to bother him most was that pearl divers would spend countless days and nights on their mission, all for a small-time merchant to make a quick profit many times the amount the divers earned. This used to be his livelihood, his lot in life, but now, he tries to disguise his old age by taking complete control of our gatherings.

‘I’ll get the firewood, children.’

‘Leave it to us, Jaddi.’

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‘No, no, I’ll get it. You don’t know how to do it and you might get hurt by sharp branches.’

‘What do you want us to do then, Jaddi? We want to help.’

‘Nothing! Everything’s fine, children. Where’s the tea and coffee? The luqaimat? The harees?’

‘We’ll find them for you.’

‘Or do you want those cooking pots to stay empty?’

‘We’re all behind you, Jaddi!’

My grandfather eyes the empty pots with a laugh and prepares to cook our meal.

‘Who loves tea as much as I do?’ he asks us.

‘ME! ME! ME!’ we clamour.

‘And who loves coffee as much as I do?’

‘ME! ME! ME!’

‘Do you all love tea and coffee, just because I do?’

‘Yes, Jaddi.’

‘And I love you all very much. Your grandmother, God rest her soul, made tea that was unrivalled!

Oh, that taste . . . But such is life, let’s not dwell on it too much.’

He stokes the fire, as he always does, with his walking-stick. The stick is like his shadow. He

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takes it everywhere. He leans on it when he walks and uses it to gather firewood and stoke fires.

Even when he goes out in his car, he keeps it by his side. What a good friend it is to my beloved grandfather and how carefully he takes care of it!

I ask Jaddi why he always carries that stick.

It’s part of our history, he tells us, our religion and our roots. It’s also a good partner on journeys.

‘I once used it to kill a snake,’ he says. ‘It was a big, yellow, terrifying snake with a tongue that darted in and out like a thief. Its poison was strong, fastacting and deadly. If you didn’t finish it off right away, it would beat you to it and . . .’

‘May God grant you long life, Jaddi.’

‘Another time, I raised the stick to beat away

a wild wolf — it looked just like a dog, except its eyes bulged out more — and it ran away in fear. I cut this stick from a ghaf tree forty years ago.’

Complete silence on our end follows this last sentence.

My grandfather chats on to the fire as if it’s a good friend of his, but needs to get more and more firewood to finish cooking the food he’s grilling.

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‘Jaddi, may I ask you a question?’

‘Go ahead, my dear girl.’ He looks at me, his eyes pouring with tears, whether from the smoke or from reminiscing about my grandmother, I don’t know.

‘How can that stick be your friend, while you’re burning branches, twigs and leaves to make our food?’

My grandfather glares at me and his gaze sends a whole caravan of blame my way, but continues to poke at the fire.

After we eat, we sit by the fire. Everyone’s quiet, I’m not sure why. My grandfather’s saying some words over and over, but I don’t understand them.

‘What are you saying, Jaddi?’

‘Nothing. I’m not saying anything, my dear.’

I try hard to listen as he mutters. I hear him say, ‘The ghaf, the ghaf. It’s the mother.’

‘What’s the ghaf, Jaddi?’ I ask, ‘At school today, we were asked to come up with projects for looking after ghaf trees, but we don’t know anything about them. The school’s giving cash prizes to the winners — 3000 dirhams!’

My grandfather sighs deeply and says, ‘Earlier 211

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today, just before sunset, your brother asked me what the ghaf was and why the United Arab Emirates chose it as a national symbol. And you asked me about my stick and about firewood.’

‘Is there a connection between my question and my brother’s, Jaddi?’

‘Of course there is! I’ll explain it with a wonderful story for all of you, dearest ones. But first, I’ve just remembered something.

‘The prize money your school’s offering is a good amount. Did you know my entire education — all stages combined — only cost me 50 dirhams?’

My grandfather laughs and tells us how he had to write on leaves and on classroom walls.

‘Our suffering was great. But, with God’s grace and thanks to our Sheikhs, everything’s now been made available for you. And in return for the advantages given to you by our nation and our leaders, may God grant them long life, we expect you to continue to strive for more achievements and distinction.’

‘May God grant you long life as well, Jaddi. And with God’s help, we will work hard to succeed.’

‘Tell us the story, Jaddi.’

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We gather closer to him. The fire looks wonderful and the water boiling in the teapot makes a pleasant bubbling sound, but all eyes are on my grandfather.

‘Taffadal, Jaddi, please go ahead.’

‘There was once a woman who lived, quiet and alone, in the desert far from our home. She never changed her ways, no matter how her circumstances changed. If she was poor, she would give to others and if she was rich, she made whoever approached her rich too.

She would give food and water without question to whoever called on her, never sending anyone away, even if they stayed for many days and years. During the day, she served the most delicious fare: her food was healing and her drink cured all ails. Her shadow was a cloud that protects from the sun.’

‘MY GOODNESS, what a great woman she must be, Jaddi!’

‘Yes, she’s a great and generous woman.

‘One day, a herd of animals attacked her so she gave them food, water and shelter and they only left when their bellies were full and their

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thirst had been quenched.’

‘Did she face all these animals alone, Jaddi?’

The others told me off for interrupting Jaddi and he smiled, and continued talking without answering my question.

‘Once, when we were children, maybe eleven or twelve years old, my brother Youssef, God rest his soul, became very ill . . .’

‘Do you mean Jaddi Youssef?’

‘Yes, that’s him. Our adventure began like this: I hauled Youssef onto my back and carried him to her at night. We were poor in those days and I didn’t have a camel to ride.’

‘WEREN’T YOU AFRAID, JADDI?’

‘No, my child, we mostly travelled at night

because it was so hot during the day and we were used to living in the desert. We were comfortable with the desert and it was comfortable with us.’

‘DIDN’T WE JUST TELL YOU NOT TO INTERRUPT?’ yelled the others.

‘That’s enough, children, I’ll go on with the story now.’

‘Did Jaddi Youssef get better?’

‘Yes, thank God.’

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‘Did you visit the woman?’

‘Yes.’

‘Is she a doctor?’

‘Yes, she’s a doctor and a wonderful, generous woman,’ said my grandfather.

‘Please go on, Jaddi, we’re sorry for interrupting, but we wanted to understand better.’

‘When we arrived, she offered us food and drink and a house to stay in while your great uncle Youssef was being treated. It was a comfortable shelter for us after our exhausting journey. Youssef almost died on the trip: he was worryingly thin and I didn’t hear him make a sound the entire way there, not even a whisper. More than once, I thought he had died, but his warm breath would return to murmur in my ear that, thank God, he was still alive.’

‘GOODNESS, she even gave you accommodation!’

‘Yes, accommodation too.’

‘Jaddi, weren’t any of her children there to help?’

‘Does she, alone, take care of the guests?’

‘Doesn’t she need to sleep?’

‘When does she sleep, Jaddi?’

A series of questions rained down on my grand215

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father and the encouraging gleam in his eyes seemed to say, ‘Go ahead and ask, ask more . . .’ but he remained silent until everyone was quiet for a moment.

‘I’ll tell you who she is, children.’

‘Do we know her Jaddi?’

‘Yes, you do. She’s . . . she’s . . . your mother.’

‘WHAT?’

‘Yes, your mother.’

‘Who, Jaddi?’

‘Our mother . . .’

We start talking amongst ourselves. Our mother? My grandfather watches and suddenly seems a bit angry.

‘Children,’ he says, ‘our first mother is the person who gives birth to us. The nation we’re brought up in and where we live is our mother too. Our language, culture and traditions are all a mother to us as well.’

‘Do you mean a metaphorical mother or a real one?’

‘Both real and metaphorical.’

‘Tell us who this mother is, Jaddi, we’re dying of curiosity.’

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‘We’ll go and thank her tomorrow.’

‘When will we leave?’

‘Go to sleep now and tomorrow, after dawn prayers, we’ll go and offer our thanks.’

‘OK, Jaddi.’

In the morning, everyone gathers around Jaddi’s car to wait for him.

‘Are you all still set on going?’

‘Yes, please, take us to her so we can thank her too.’

‘Let’s go and give her a lovely present. She is your mother, isn’t she?’

We all look at him, but no one says a word.

We head off towards the desert with my grandfather and every time we see a human shape, we think it must be ‘her’.

Different ideas cross our mind. Did he mean our own mother? No, she only leaves home to go on visits. My grandfather must have been talking about something else. We haven’t gone far yet, but we decide to stop for a rest in the shade of a big tree.

‘We’ll get there soon, it’s not far from here,’ said grandfather.

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We look around in every direction. Where was this generous woman?

‘Where is she?’

From his pocket, my grandfather takes a square of white cloth with a logo on it — a ghaf tree — and fixes it onto a long flagpole. Everyone’s watching him.

‘Yesterday, I asked you about this year’s national symbol and you didn’t answer. So now, Jaddi . . .’ says my brother, ‘what does the ghaf symbol mean? Please tell me before we arrive at that woman’s place.’

‘Please, Jaddi.’

‘I’ll answer all your questions,’ says Jaddi.

‘You’re right now sitting in the shade of the mother I told you about.’

Everyone looks up.

‘It’s a tree, Jaddi!’

‘It’s a ghaf tree,’ says Jaddi.

‘Alhamdulillah, Jaddi finally answered my question!’ says my brother.

‘I answered all your questions,’ says Jaddi.

‘Was your story about the ghaf tree?’

‘Yes, the ghaf tree is the mother I spoke of. Its

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leaves are nourishing and healing and its branches are the firewood we use to cook. Our forefathers built houses from its wood and sheltered in its shade. It has stood firm for long years in harsh weather and an unforgiving environment.

And because our forefathers watered it with their sweat, it has come to represent perseverance to Emiratis. We now know every detail of the ghaf tree’s life, starting from when it first sprouts from a seed and flowers, until it grows to maturity.

‘It’s an important symbol in our lives, my children. It was

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the meeting place for our tribal councils long ago and it embraced both happy occasions and sad.

Its impact is so profound that every one of us is proud of the ghaf trees they own. And I’m extra proud of this stick of mine!’ he said as he raised his walking stick high into the air.

‘And now, dearest children, do you understand why our nation chose the symbol of the ghaf tree?’

We answer after a pause to collect our thoughts, ‘YES! YES! We’ll take good care of it.

We’ll put our hearts and soul into it —the ghaf tree is our mother.’

Tears of happiness flow from Jaddi’s eyes, but these are interrupted by us all gathering round to hug him and by his own words of prayer, ‘God bless this much-revered tree, this mother who gives without taking . . . whose giving never ends.’

‘I want all of you to win the school prize together. Whoever wins should stand by the others and give them a share. Do you agree, my dear grandchildren?’

‘Of course, Jaddi, but ONLY IF you attend the prize-giving ceremony.’

At morning assembly, the winning projects are

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about to be announced and my grandfather is waiting eagerly. He’s been invited as a guest and is standing next to the Head Teacher.

The first prize is awarded to the short story: ‘Forever Giving’.

The second prize goes to the project: Inspired by the Past to Build the Future.

And the third prize-winning project is: Together for Sustainability of Ghaf Trees.

To his surprise, my grandfather is called to the stage. The prize for first place will be given to him.

This was the request we — his grandchildren — made to the school administration: if our project won, we wanted the prize to go to our grandfather because we first heard the ghaf tree’s story from him and we worked together on writing it.

When my grandfather’s name is called a second time, all the students cheer, ‘OUR

GRANDFATHER’S GIVING NEVER ENDS! OUR GHAF TREE GIVES FOR EVER!’

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The Leader of Heroes

By Lama Ehab Almousa

There was once a boy named Mohammed. He worked hard at school and his friends liked him very much. Every day, he’d walk to school on a pavement that was always spotless and he’d pass by a wall so clean, that if you touched it, you wouldn’t find a single speck of dust. He would gaze happily at the green trees where birds had built their beautiful nests and play with his cat friends in the street. He was proud of his lovely city.

One day, Mohammed had a lesson about children’s rights at school. Earlier, he’d asked his father to explain them to him and learned that the right to education was the most important

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one. Hearing this had made him happy and eager, as he headed to school the next day, to share his thoughts in class and talk to his teacher about children’s rights.

A few days later, a sandstorm hit the city. When it became known the storm was going to last for some time, the school decided, for the students’ safety, that they should stay at home starting the next day.

On the morning of the storm, Mohammed had gone out to walk to school as usual, but the weather had been stormy and almost everything had been blown out of its place. Worried about his health and safety, his mother got him to wear sunglasses and a scarf against the dust and his father insisted the driver drop him off by car because of the bad weather. On the way, as he looked out of the car window, he’d been surprised to see the ground full of litter and the lovely wall covered in dust and mud. The sky was no longer blue and the beautiful birds were gone from the trees, whose branches had been broken and their leaves swept away. The wind was blowing furiously and his cat friends were nowhere to be seen.

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Feeling sad, Mohammed told his parents after school how worried he was about the city. After listening carefully, they understood how upset he was and they were worried too. They went to see the mayor, who explained the city was facing a storm that would affect its clean streets and stop cleaners from doing their jobs.

Mohammed’s parents came home with the news that, because of the storm, life — and cleaning — in the city would be held up for days and its streets would be filled with litter and fallen leaves.

Mohammed was troubled to hear this. He was determined to do something for his city and the environment. As he wondered what to do, his eyes fell on his money box and he had an idea. He ran to get his money box and went to tell his father about his plan.

‘Can I speak to you dad?’ Mohammed eagerly asked his father, who was staring glumly out of the window at the wrecked street.

‘What is it son?’

‘You told me that children have the right not to be forced to work, but they can volunteer to help their environment, their community and their 225

Lama Ehab Almousa

country. I’ve decided my friends and I should volunteer to clean up the neighbourhood. I’ll suggest it to them and we can all work together.

All we need is some equipment and rubbish bags, which we can buy from the shops. What do you think?’ Mohammed’s father liked the idea, and

right away decided to help and encourage him.

He wanted the work to begin as soon as possible.

Two days later, Mohammed woke up to find the storm had calmed and the weather had settled down, so he decided to get started.

He went out with his father and bought a set of brooms, cloth bags and cardboard boxes. He made sure not to use plastic bags that are bad for the environment. He told his friends who lived nearby about his plan to clean and tidy up the neighbourhood. The children loved the idea and eagerly joined in. Each of them grabbed some more cleaning equipment and headed for Mohammed’s house. He divided them into teams and they began to work.

The friends worked hard, really putting their hearts into it. They gathered the fallen leaves and branches and, with their parents’ help, col226

The Leader of Heroes

lected the broken glass, plastic, and metal waste into bags. They tied the bags tightly so they could be sent for recycling, and so no one would get hurt. They washed the walls and ground in the street, using hoses fitted with spray nozzles so they didn’t waste water.

As they worked, they heard laughter from down the street and turned towards the sound.

‘OH NO!’ Mohammed cried, ‘It’s Saeed and his

gang. Let’s not listen to them or pay them any attention.’

Saeed came closer.

‘HA, HA, HA! Mohammed

and his little group of friends have turned into cleaners. You look pathetic with your clothes all 227

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smeared with dirt like that. How stupid can you get?’

‘It would make me proud to be one of our nation’s wonderful cleaners. If it wasn’t for them, your city wouldn’t be beautiful and your street wouldn’t be clean. This dirt came from hard work, not from fooling around and making mischief.

Get out of here and let us work in peace,’ said Mohammed firmly.

At these words, Saeed and his gang froze. They realised they weren’t going to get a rise out of Mohammed’s group of friends, so they decided to leave.

The young heroes went on working and did an amazing job of tidying up the chaos in the street.

They worked for an entire day under the careful eyes of their parents, who were watching with interest and cheering them on. Their mothers made delicious sweets and cakes and served them to their little heroes with love and joy. By evening, the neighbourhood was beautiful, clean and tidy.

People from the neighbourhood came out to look and were surprised to find it was lovely and spotless again. They were proud of the wonder228

The Leader of Heroes

ful work and especially proud of the children who had shown so much love for their country and the environment. The mayor was thrilled and, at a special ceremony where everyone gathered, gave the children certificates of thanks for their hard work and achievement. Mohammed’s plan had made the mayor proud of them all. He thanked Mohammed for his idea and presented him with a plaque of appreciation. Saeed and his friends watched resentfully from a distance. The happiest person that day was Mohammed’s father. He was delighted with his son — a great leader and a responsible child who worked well with his friends and respected the rights of nature.

He deserved the pride of his nation.

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Matrah’s Adventures in Al-Dhafra

by Matrah Ebrahim Saleh

There was once a clever, hardworking girl who lived in the United Arab Emirates, a land of peace and tolerance, founded on principles of respect for all by Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, God rest his soul.

The girl’s name was Matrah and her family, friends and teachers all loved her. Matrah liked swimming, travelling and reciting poetry. She lived, with her parents and five-year-old sister Maryam, in a lovely little house in Masdar City — a sustainable community in Abu Dhabi and the first city in the world to depend on clean, renewable energy.

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Every day after school, Matrah ate lunch with her family and studied her lessons. Later she had swim practice in their home pool with her private coach, then she and Maryam played with toys. After that, she did some artwork, like drawing on recycled paper or reusing plastic to make decorations, before settling down with her iPad, or in front of the TV, to watch cartoons.

At seven thirty, over supper, her family enjoyed conversations about school and their community.

Bedtime was next and Matrah’s mother or father would read her an exciting story before she went to sleep in her room.

In the morning, she’d wake up early, full of energy, and make her bed, wash her face and brush her teeth. She’d have a healthy breakfast with all the different food groups in it. There’d be fruits and vegetables, which contain vitamins, and muscle-building, protein-rich cheese. She’d eat bread for carbohydrates to give her energy and drink milk full of calcium to give her healthy bones and teeth. Then she’d start a fun new day!

One day, Matrah was studying in her room when she heard someone at the door.

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KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK .

‘Who is it?’

‘It’s me, Matrah,’ said her mother.

‘Please come in, Ummi,’ said Matrah.

Her mother greeted her, ‘As-salamu-alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.’

‘Wa-alaykumu-as-salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,’ Matrah replied.

‘Matrah, I’d like to tell you something,’ said her mother.

‘Please go ahead, Ummi dear.’ said Matrah.

‘A friend of mine has been telling me about a big camp for girls that needs volunteers, and you know how keen I am to offer my time to do good and help others. I’ve always encouraged you to get involved in volunteer work too.’

‘It sounds WONDERFUL, Ummi!’

‘It’s far away, though, out in the desert in Al-Dhafra. I’ll take you and your sister with me, and we’ll go for eight to ten days in winter break.’

‘OH, UMMI! This’ll be a new experience and a chance to get to know different parts of my country. I’m DEFINITELY coming with you!’

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ages wondering what she would do there.

A month later . . .

On the first day of winter break, Matrah started getting ready. Her mother was busy packing, and Matrah was choosing toys, interesting books and electronics to take and helping her sister Maryam.

Their mother came to help.

‘Girls, this trip will take us far away from city life.

Let’s pick things that suit the place we’re going to — I’d rather we didn’t take electronics,’ she said.

‘All right, Ummi.’

Matrah suggested bringing active toys instead of electronics and Maryam agreed.

The next morning . . .

The volunteers and their children gathered at the meeting point and got onto the buses headed for Al-Dhafra, which used to be called the Western Region. Most of the UAE’s oil and gas fields are found in Al-Dhafra and it’s also home to many different animals and crops.

On the way, the volunteers chatted and got to know each other. The bus stopped for a half-hour

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break in Baynunah and then moved on. From the window, Matrah looked out onto a landscape of beautiful sand dunes and she also spied some camels. The camel is called the ship of the desert because of the way it walks, swaying over sand dunes like a ship on the waves. It’s a tall, longnecked animal, with a large, strong body and a hump on its back where fat’s stored for energy.

The camel’s strong memory helps it recognise its owner and find its way as it strides confidently through the desert.

‘This is such an AMAZING view, Ummi!’ said Matrah.

The bus arrived at the camp. Matrah smiled in delighted surprise at the charming scene in the heart of the desert. It was a large camp, with a huge number of small tents; some big ‘House of Hair’ tents, which are woven from goat hair; a restaurant; and public facilities. The volunteers were met with a polite and friendly welcome from the camp manager. Then the camp programme was explained — a large number of college and university students were expected the next day — and the volunteers and their children

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were assigned their tents.

Matrah and her sister ran into their tent, while their mother walked behind. The inside of the tent surprised Matrah. There was nothing there except for a place to sleep and an electric lamp. Public facilities like bathrooms and the restaurant were all outside the tent.

The girls’ mother did her best to get them settled in and asked Matrah to help unpack the bags and get everything organised in the tent.

Maryam was a bit frightened of the new place and Matrah comforted her with stories about their grandparents and great-grandparents before them, who long ago lived in tents just like theirs, made of goat hair mixed with wool. The tents protected them from the hot rays of the sun and from wind and rain as well. After their long, exhausting day, Matrah and her sister fell asleep in their mother’s arms.

First day of camp . . .

After waking up early, Matrah joined her mother as she started her camp duties: welcoming large numbers of students in groups, assigning tents

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and serving food.

Matrah enjoyed the volunteer work and tried to help everyone. Even though she was young — none of the other volunteers were her age — she managed to convince the camp manager to let her work with them. The manager welcomed her to the team. She was their youngest volunteer and would help the administrators and show the students around camp.

Second day of camp . . .

The students gathered to raise the flag and sing the national anthem. Matrah sang the words with pride and joy, her voice ringing through the desert of Al-Dhafra:

َ َ َ ُ ‫اش اتِّ َح‬ ‫اد إِ َم َار ِاتنَا‬ ‫يش ي بِل ِدي ع‬ ِ ‫ِع‬ Long live my country,

long live the union of our Emirates

ْ َ ُ ‫شعب دينُ ُه ْال ْس َل ُم َه ْد ُي ُه‬ ‫الق ْرآن‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ت‬ ‫ش‬ ‫ِع‬ ِ ِ ِ ٍ ِ Long may you live for a people of Islam, led by the Qur’an َ ُ ْ َّ َ َ ْ ‫كب‬ َ ‫اس ِم الله َيا وط ُن‬ ِ ‫حصنت‬

Fortified with strength in God’s name, may you stand

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َ َ َ َ ‫بِل ِدي بِل ِدي بِل ِدي بِل ِدي‬

My country, my country, my country, my country

َّ َ ُ ُ ُ َ ْ َ ‫َح‬ ‫ور الز َمان‬ ‫الله شر‬ ‫اك‬ ‫م‬ ِ ِ God save you from all of the evils of time َ َ ْ َ َ َ ْ َ ‫أق‬ ‫س ْمنا أ ْن ن ْبنِ َي نع َمل‬ We have sworn to build, to work ْ ْ ‫نَ ْع َمل نُخلِص نَ ْع َمل نُخلِص‬ Work sincerely, work sincerely ْ ‫ص نُ ْخل‬ ْ ‫َم ْه َما ع ْشنَا نُ ْخل‬ ‫ص‬ ِ ِ ِ All our lives, we’ll be sincere َ َ​َ ُ َ​َْ َ َ َ‫اش الْ َعلَم َيا إ َم َاراتنا‬ ‫دام المان وع‬ ِ ِ Ever in safety, long live the flag of our Emirates ِّ ‫َر ْم َز الْ ُع ُروبَة ُكلُّنَا نَ ْفديك ب‬ ْ َ‫الد َماء ن‬ ‫يك‬ ‫و‬ ‫ر‬ ِ ِ ِ ِ ِ Beacon of Arabs, Gladly in your stead, we would spill our blood

َْ َ ْ َ ‫نَف ِديك بِال ْر َواح َيا َوطن‬ ِ

We’d give our souls in your stead, O homeland.

Next, the student camp activities started. There were classes for traditional crafts like weaving, lace-making and fragrance-making and other handicrafts like pottery and freehand drawing.

Sports, including archery and horse-riding, were also part of the programme. After sunset, the 238

Matrah’s Adventures in Al-Dhafra

evening party started, with poetry recitals and public-speaking competitions and many other events.

‘Why can’t WE join in?’ Matrah asked her mother.

‘Because this camp is for older girls — higher grade and university students,’ said her mother, ‘but tomorrow I’ll speak to the camp manager to see what we can do, especially since there aren’t very many children here.’

Third day of camp . . .

Everyone woke up early, full of energy and ready 239

Matrah Ebrahim Saleh

to enjoy the camp activities. Matrah’s mother told the camp manager how the children felt and suggested organising activities for them. The manager agreed at once — after all, the children helped make the camp a success — and started planning special activities to suit them. The girls’ mother rushed back to give them the good news.

Competitions for children were held in drawing, clay sculpting, singing and poetry-recital. Matrah entered the poetry recital competition and Maryam chose drawing. They both joined the craft activities and learned the techniques of alsadu, traditional handmade weaving to make fabric for tents; al-talli, Emirati bobbin lace, still used today to decorate women’s clothes; and the traditional craft of making fragrance, al-dukhoon.

Emiratis use al-dukhoon every day to perfume their homes and clothes; it’s made from oud sticks and a mixture of essential oils. Matrah and Maryam enjoyed doing the crafts; they tried out and practised each one. All the children at camp were very happy!

Matrah went to speak to her mother in their tent.

240

Matrah’s Adventures in Al-Dhafra

‘Ummi, please can I make natural fertiliser out of food-scraps? There’s plenty of fruit peel and other scraps here and I’ve watched a short film about turning kitchen waste into fertiliser.

Every morning after breakfast, I’ll collect all the eggshells and pound them into powder with a rock. Eggshell-powder is often used as a fertiliser because it’s full of calcium.’

‘Mashallah, that’s an excellent idea, Matrah.

Maryam and I will help; we’ll team up to collect the eggshells, grind them up and pack the powder into bags, so it can be used to fertilise ghaf trees.

The ghaf is very special to Emiratis. It’s survived for long years in spite of the harsh weather and difficult environment and was a beacon of culture where thinkers, writers and poets would meet.

Today, the ghaf tree is a true symbol of tolerance; it’s the seed of love, sown by Baba Zayed into the nation’s heart and its path of wise leadership; an authentic part of Emirati heritage.’

Matrah enjoyed the camp so much that, instead of travelling abroad as she used to do, she asked her mother if she could volunteer at the annual camp for the next three years. Matrah

241

Matrah Ebrahim Saleh

felt truly grateful for her days at the camp: she thanked God for His blessings and gave her thanks and admiration to the UAE leaders and government, and to her parents.

When she went back to school after winter break, she proudly shared her wonderful experience in Al-Dhafra with her friends. Everyone was excited to hear the story of ‘THE DIARY OF

MATRAH IN AL-DHAFRA’.

242

About VoFG Voices of Future Generations is a unique writing initiative, created to promote Sustainability and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. HH Sheikha Hissa bint Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the Goodwill Ambassador for the initiative for the Gulf Region.

The initiative was first launched internationally in 2014, and it is in its first year in the Gulf Region.

Voices of Future Generations is a writing competition for students between eight and twelve, encouraging young writers to engage with the Sustainable Development Goals and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child by incorporating one or more of them in their stories. The focus is on creativity and imagination, with stories focused on characters that overcome something, as all good adventure tales do.

Under the patronage of the

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

End poverty in all its forms everywhere

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages

244

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

245

Child Authors Abdul Karim Ismat Ghazal (11 Years Old)

Abrar Sirohey (12 Years Old)

Aditi Gandhi (12 Years Old)

Ahmad Ismail Zindah (12 Years Old)

Al Yazia Salah Al Din Al-Kaabi (11 Years Old)

Aamna Hamad Salim Ubaid Saif Al Suwaidi (12 Years Old)

Hazza Al-Ameri (10 Years Old)

Ioana Stefanova (9 Years Old)

246

Joshua Melwin (12 Years Old)

Lama Ihab Al-Musa (9 Years Old)

Matara Ibrahim (8 Years Old)

Meghna Senthilkumar (9 Years Old)

Mir Faraz

Nour Ahmad Al-Khatib

Saira Thomas

Sashini Manikandan

(9 Years Old)

(10 Years Old)

(11 Years Old)

Saud Ahmad Al Kaabi (8 Years Old)

Shahid Fayis (11 Years Old)

(12 Years Old)

Suhaila Abdul Halim Mansur

Ward Wisam Al-Halabi

(11 Years Old)

(11 Years Old)

247

Celebrate the winners of the Middle East’s first Voices of Future Generations competition in this adventure-packed anthology.

Collecting the ten winners of the Arabic competition and the ten winners of the English, this beautifully illustrated volume features journeys under the sea and into space, explorations of traditional and ultra-modern corners of the region, and countless acts of kindness and bravery.

Above all, it demonstrates the dedication of these young writers to changing the world through the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

No matter how magical the adventure, each story features realistic actions that any young person can take.

“The enthusiasm with which these children took up the call to write about the Sustainable Development Goals is a very encouraging sign for the future. The winning stories are imaginative and show great understanding of the issues but are also a pleasure to read.”

H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance

“The writers who took part in the VOFG Arabia Competition should be very proud of themselves for their accomplishments. This wonderful project demonstrates how environmentally conscious and forward-thinking young people in the Gulf region are.”

The Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Distinguished Academic Performance

“The love the authors of these stories have for the environment and the care they show towards vulnerable species is hugely encouraging.”

Dr Jane Goodall

Under the patronage of the

United Nations (GXFDWLRQDO 6FLHQWL¿F DQG Cultural Organization