Charity champion Sarah Clarke has one more fundraising initiative up her sleeve as she embarks on her new adventure back home in the UK after several years helping good causes in Bahrain.
The 57-year-old British author and inclusion advocate has touched many lives in the kingdom and will be remembered for bringing joy and laughter to autistic children at the RIA Institute with her late adorable chocolate brown Labrador named Baloo by her side, organising art programmes and helping youngsters improve their reading and storytelling skills.
She and her husband David, a 58-year-old business consultant, have enjoyed 15 years in the Middle East. They want to be closer to Ms Clarke’s mother, Shirley, who is in her 90s and living alone in England.
“The 18 months of isolation due to Covid-19 have been quite difficult for everyone and it prompted us to move back,” said Ms Clarke, the founder of Baloos Reading Buddies and author of the Baloo-based series of books.
“We’re definitely going to miss the friends we’ve made in Bahrain, the people of Bahrain and, of course, the sunny weather; adjusting to dog-walking in the rain will certainly be a challenge for two and four-legged alike!”
Taking part in Think Pink with RIA co-founder Christine Gordon
As Ms Clarke flies out today, she will be launching a Sketch-a-thon in support of a guide dogs charity. When she was a child, she would put her pocket money in collection boxes to support the training of dogs to help the visually impaired.
“As a dog owner, I have come to realise just what it takes to train a dog to be well-mannered in terms of the time, effort and, of course, the money involved,” she added. “Imagine how much more it costs to train a guide dog!
“This October is the 90th anniversary of Guide Dogs UK. To celebrate this magnificent achievement, I will be starting the Sketch-a-thon where I will create, sketch, scribble and paint one image a day for 90 days that relates to guide dogs and the anniversary.”
GDN readers can follow along @sarahclarke888 on Instagram and Sarah Clarke on Facebook. Readers can also tag #sketchathon_for_guidedogs and visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sarah-clarke145 to learn more.
The Clarkes with Christine’s son Othmann at Art for Autism Awareness 2018
This initiative follows numerous community events she has helped organise in the kingdom, such as Art for Autism Awareness.
Her journey started in Bahrain in 2006 with her husband, where she met local adventurer and publisher Ali Mushaima within the first week of her arrival. She then joined the Friendship Arabia Team as its principal writer, penning four books in the ‘101 things to see and do in….’ series of travel guides.
Adventures
“We had some fabulous adventures together in Bahrain, Oman, Istanbul, Chios and Jordan and I will be forever grateful for the experiences that I had with the team who opened my eyes to the beauty of the region – its people and landscapes,” said Ms Clarke. “Also, the people of Bahrain have been some of the most welcoming.
“Prior to living here, we knew little about this part of the world and have been very privileged to get to know the country from within. We will always cherish the time we have spent here – there is more that connects us than divides us. With open minds, anything is possible. Don’t be afraid to explore, share experiences, offer help, embrace differences – it is those small gestures that make a community and without community we are lost.”
They adopted their first rescue dog named Jack from the late Tony the Dogfather in November 2006, and a year later Baloo from the Delmon Kennels. That same year, she also started volunteering at RIA Institute Bahrain.
In 2009, the Clarkes moved to Qatar and returned to Bahrain in 2013 to launch a management consultancy company.
Celebrating International Peace Day at RIA Institute Bahrain
She then established Baloo’s Buddies in 2014 as the first programme in Bahrain to use pet dogs to champion inclusion, breaking down barriers so that people with different abilities are accepted in all their uniqueness and can more easily reach their full potential.
“I have worked with numerous people from all walks of life, until recently, always with Baloo by my side,” explained Ms Clarke. “I can’t thank all the volunteers enough for the support, dedication, talent and commitment to our various groundbreaking initiatives.
“David and I are also hugely thankful to all the government entities, businesses, schools and non-profit organisations that have supported Baloo’s Buddies over the years and the countless members of the public who have welcomed us wherever we have been. Without you we would not have been able to achieve all we did for inclusion in Bahrain.”
mai.alkhatib@gulfweekly.com
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