As the new school year approaches, charities and community organisations across Bahrain are stepping up efforts to ensure needy children have the necessary school supplies and financial support to return to classrooms with confidence.
With the cost of preparing for a new academic year placing additional pressure on families, organisations are appealing to the public for donations to help cover everything from school bags and uniforms to university expenses.
Students will return to classrooms on September 3, with the academic year running through to June 30, 2027.
A’ali Social Charity Society chairman Aqeel Al A’ali told the GDN that the society has allocated a budget to support more than 400 school students and 100 university students ahead of the new academic year.
“We are allocating around BD30 for each school student and BD128 for each university student,” he said.
“In total, we would need around BD25,000 to cover all of the young people we support.”
While the society accepts physical donations such as school bags and stationery, Mr Al A’ali said cash contributions were often more useful as they could be transferred directly to families, allowing them to choose the supplies their children needed.
“Many families inform us that they do not want people to know they are receiving help, and sometimes when people donate the bags, they have the logo of the company, so people in the community know they received help,” Mr A’ali explained. “Cash gives each family the freedom of choice.”
He added that all donations and transfers made to registered families are documented and recorded to ensure the funds are used for their intended purpose.
Joining the wider efforts to support families ahead of the new school year, Kaaf Humanitarian has launched its seasonal programme to help ease the financial pressure of back-to-school costs.
“This year, our seasonal programme includes a series of fundraising campaigns running over three weeks, with each campaign focusing on an essential area of educational support: providing school bags, school uniforms and financial assistance to university students,” Kaaf Humanitarian chief executive officer Mohammed Sayyar told the GDN.
The organisation has also launched a school supplies collection drive, inviting members of the public to donate new or gently used items in good condition, including school bags, notebooks, pens and pencils, stationery, water bottles and lunch boxes.
The drive is running from August 18 to 23 at all six Kaaf Humanitarian centres in Muharraq, Busaiteen, Juffair, Riffa, Isa Town and Hamad Town.
Donations are accepted from 9am to 8pm from Saturday to Wednesday, and from 9am to 3.30pm on Thursday.
“All donated items will be sorted and prepared for distribution to eligible students from families in need,” Mr Sayyar said, adding that it marks Kaaf Humanitarian’s first initiative specifically dedicated to receiving in-kind donations of educational items from the public.
At Isa Town Charity Society, a range of educational support initiatives has also been launched to help students and their families prepare for the academic year.
Society chairman Abdulredha Alaliwat said the support package includes BD10 for school bags and between BD25 and BD45 towards school uniforms, depending on the student’s educational stage.
“These initiatives are designed to ease the financial burden on families and ensure students are equipped for a successful start to the school year,” he explained.
The society will also provide financial rewards to outstanding students in recognition of their academic achievements, while its ‘Sponsor an Achiever’ initiative will recognise and support parents and guardians who play an important role in encouraging their children’s academic success.
In addition, awareness sessions will be held for students aged 12 to 18 covering digital citizenship ethics and psychological readiness for the new school year.
“The sessions aim to help students return to school with greater confidence, responsibility and a positive mindset,” Mr Alaliwat said.
The Royal Humanitarian Foundation (RHF) has also completed its annual ‘School Bag’ initiative, depositing allocated funds into the bank accounts of all sponsored male and female students enrolled in various schools.
The initiative forms part of the foundation’s ongoing efforts to support sponsored students and help their families meet school-related expenses ahead of the academic year.
RHF secretary-general Ebrahim Al Doseri said the initiative was one of the foundation’s annual programmes and was aimed at helping students meet their educational needs at the start of each academic year.
He congratulated students on the approaching start of the new academic year and wished them continued success, achievement and excellence in their educational journey.
For more information on how to donate, contact the A’ali Social Charity Society (39751570), Kaaf Humanitarian (17333090) and Isa Town Charity Society (33075044/17682686).
julia@gdnmedia.bh
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