Tag Archives: education
Emiratis to manage public school canteens in Dubai
Emiratis to manage public school canteens in Dubai Olivia Olarte-Ulherr / 15 October 2013 Under Khalifa Foundation initiative, 80 Emirati families will manage canteens in 40 schools in Dubai and Northern Emirates All school canteens across the country may soon be managed by UAE nationals following an initiative that aims not only to provide healthy and affordable meals but also to create jobs and provide sustainable income for needy Emiratis. The plan is to make healthy and quality meals available at school canteens in the price range of Dh3 to Dh7. — KT file photo used for illustrative purpose The initiative, launched by the Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation (KBZF) this academic year, has tasked 80 Emirati families to manage 40 public school canteens in Dubai and the Northern Emirates in the first phase. “As part of our annual assessment of the aid we provide students, we realised that the pocket money we give them is not enough to buy food at school canteens. So we thought it best that instead of money, we provide them healthy meals that are affordable while supporting our citizens with limited income through the management of the school canteens,” KBZF director-general Mohamed Hajji Al Khoori told Khaleej Times. The plan is for the meals to be sold at prices of Dh3, Dh5 and Dh7, containing healthy ingredients and of a different variety every day. The foundation has partnered with the Ministry of Education to identify the schools. These include five schools each in Dubai, Ajman, Umm Al Quwain and Ras Al Khaimah and 20 in Fujairah. “In the first phase, we will implement the project in select public schools. The plan is to include all public schools across the UAE and extend this to private schools at a later stage,” said Al Khoori. Three schools in Abu Dhabi have already expressed an interest in joining the programme, according to Al Khoori, who said the foundation was currently in talks with the Abu Dhabi Education Council. Several food companies are also supporting the initiative, providing sandwiches, juices and fresh milk for the school canteens. The Emirates Co-operative Society, which provides the sandwiches, is at the same time carrying out training for the families in catering processes, service and canteen management. While learning the trade, families are given a monthly allowance by the foundation. “At the start, the local families don’t need a capital as much as they need support from all quarters, to train them till they are ready,” Al Khoori said. For the pilot, two families were tasked to manage each school canteen. But for the long term, the plan is to either increase or decrease this depending on the number of students in each school. The number of families employed will also increase in the future as more schools join the initiative. “The Khalifa Foundation initiative of supporting these families goes hand in hand with the strategy of the UAE to privatise the education sector and create business opportunities for UAE nationals,” Al Khoori said. He added the families were selected from those who had worked with the foundation’s Iftar meals project in the past three years, who have enough experience in providing quality foods, underwent food hygiene and safety training, and who received an eligibility certificate from the Civil Defence. The Iftar meals initiative during Ramadan, which started in 2010, provides food for millions of fasting Muslims throughout the holy month while creating jobs for low-income Emiratis. Established in 2007, the foundation provides aid and assistance to people — both locally and internationally — regardless of race, sex or religion. The foundation is looking for ways to help low-income families by sourcing creative and sustainable projects that would provide them long-term financial support. – olivia@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Pink Taxi drivers turn cancer educators
Pink Taxi drivers turn cancer educators Amanda Fisher / 14 October 2013 Campaign as part of International Breast Cancer Awareness Month is a collaboration between breast cancer awareness initiative Pink Caravan, Dubai Taxis and advertising agency JWT. Any woman who rides in a Dubai Pink Taxi this month will find a lump during the journey, though thankfully, one that is easily removed with the click of a seatbelt. Taxi drivers have taken on a new role as cancer educator in the novel campaign as part of International Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which the UAE’s Friends of Cancer Patients (FoCP) charitable society says has been the most active month in their history. The campaign, a first of its kind, which is a collaboration between FoCPs’ breast cancer awareness initiative Pink Caravan, Dubai Taxis and advertising agency JWT, which dreamed up the concept, will educate women riding in Dubai’s ladies-only Pink Taxis. FoCP secretary general Dr Sawsan Al Madhi said the ride starts with drivers instructing their passengers to put seatbelts on, at which point the women would feel a ‘lump’ attached to their seatbelt on their chests. On the embedded ball is a message which reads: “Breast cancer is not always this easy to find. Feel for the signs. Early detection is your protection”. Dr Al Madhi said such innovative campaigns in the fight against breast cancer consider the “very real possibility” of developing breast cancer. “The lady feels the lump, then the dialogue starts and she’s handed a leaflet with more information. Even the driver is more of an educator in that role.” Drivers have been trained to explain the importance of early detection of breast cancer to passengers, while the leaflets contain details on how to conduct self-examinations and when to begin getting mammograms. Dr Al Madhi said the concept was piloted in one taxi in April, and the success led to the roll out in all taxis this month. “Hopefully it’s going to be a positive campaign and if all the parties are happy with it … why shouldn’t it be something we could carry on with, and even in more than just Pink Taxis, but normal taxis…. I think the right question is ‘How big do we want it to be?’,” Dr Al Madhi said. She hoped the campaign would spark discussions among women that would eventually saves lives — both here and abroad. – amanda@khaleejtimes.com Continue reading
Phailin leaves trail of destruction
Phailin leaves trail of destruction (Agencies) / 14 October 2013 Massive evacuation of one million people reduces number of casualties; cyclone death toll in Odisha 15. Daybreak revealed a trail of destruction across coastal areas of eastern India on Sunday after the strongest storm to hit the country in 14 years, but the loss of life appeared limited as more than half a million people had taken cover in shelters. “Damage to property is extensive,” said Amitabh Thakur, the top police officer in Odisha’s Ganjam district worst-hit by the cyclone. “But few lives have been lost,” he said, crediting the mass evacuations. Cyclone Phailin packed winds of more than 200 kmph as it made landfall from the Bay of Bengal on Saturday, tearing apart dwellings and uprooting trees, but it lost momentum as it headed inland and was expected to dissipate with about 36 hours. The government of the state of Odisha said the death toll stood at 15. Eight bodies were on Sunday found from Ganjam district, the worst-hit from Phailin in Odisha. Police said two bodies each were found in Berhampur town, Purosottampur, Ganjam town and Rangelilunda areas. Besides, a large number of people have been injured in Ganjam district. Seven people were killed on Sunday due to heavy rains and high-velocity winds in Odisha before the cyclone made landfall last night, including two at Polasara and Khalikote areas of Ganjam district. The cyclone was one of three major storms over Asia on Sunday. The smaller Typhoon Nari was approaching Vietnam and Typhoon Wipha loomed over the Pacific. At least 550,000 people in the states of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh spent the night in shelters, some of which were built after a storm killed 10,000 in the same area in 1999. Others took refuge in schools or temples, in what the National Disaster Management Authority called one of India’s largest evacuations. Truck driver Jayaram Yadav, who had been transporting eight cars halfway across India, huddled in the cab of his 28-tonne vehicle as wind howled around him on Saturday night. “I was just thinking: it’s going to topple over — and then it did,” said Yadav, who survived unscathed as his cargo of vehicles was scattered across a coastal highway. Television images showed cars flipped on their sides and debris-strewn streets in the silk-producing city of Brahmapur, one of the hardest hit areas. A few trucks and motorbikes returned to city streets as residents emerged to survey the damage. Winds slowed to 90 km per hour early on Sunday and the rain eased. But large swathes of Odisha, including its capital, Bhubaneshwar, were without electricity for a second day after the storm pulled down power cables. Officials said it was too early to give an accurate damage assessment. Soldiers and rescue workers in helicopters, boats and trucks fanned out across the two states. Airlines changed flight paths on the route between Mumbai and Bangkok, and between Bangkok and the Middle East, the Business Standard reported yesterday, citing an air traffic controller it didn’t identify. Indigo, India’s biggest domestic carrier by market share, canceled some flights to and from Bhubaneshwar in Odisha, the company’s external communications agency said in an e-mailed response to questions yesterday. Ragini Chopra, a spokeswoman for Jet Airways (India) Ltd., didn’t respond to an e-mail. All train services between Howrah and Visakhapatnam remained cancelled on Sunday for the second day in view of cyclone Phailin which hit Odisha coast Saturday night. East Coast Railway and South Central Railway have cancelled more than 70 train services, including express and passenger trains, due to the damage to railway tracks in coastal Odisha and also in parts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh. All trains between Visakhapatnam, Bhubaneswar and Puri were cancelled. An official of East Coast Railways said all trains originating and terminating at Bhubaneswar and Puri stood cancelled. Many long distance trains from Chennai and Mumbai heading towards Howrah were either cancelled or diverted. Major trains which have been cancelled include Bhubaneswar-Tirupati, Puri-Tirupati, Bhubaneswar-Secunderabad, Tirupati-Bilaspur, Bhubaneswar-Mumbai and Tirupati-Bhubaneswar express trains. The authorities have also cancelled Vijayawada-Raigadh, Machilipatnam-Visakha, Vijayawada-Visakha and Kakinada-Visakha passenger trains. In Mogadhalupadu, a fishing village in Andhra Pradesh, where some people had refused to leave their boats and nets, the damage was less than feared. Seawater surged into huts made from coconut palms near the beach. “People have come back to the village now,” said village chief Jagdesh Dasari, saying winds that gusted through the night had dropped off and the rain was light. Phailin caused widespread damage to infrastructure and crops in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh and claimed one life. People in north coastal Andhra heaved a sigh of relief with the cyclone turning weak and the intensity of rains and winds also coming down since Sunday morning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has withdrawn its cyclone warning for Andhra Pradesh. Srikakulam district remained without electricity on Sunday as a number of electricity towers were toppled by the strong winds. Communication towers were also damaged in large numbers while fallen trees on the roads cut off access to many towns and villages. Hundreds of vehicles were stranded on the national highway connecting Srikakulam to Odisha. The commissioner said electricity supply in Srikakulam district would be restored in two days. Coconut trees standing on hundreds of acres of land were uprooted while other crops were also damaged. Officials said enumeration of damage to houses, crops, roads and railway tracks was on. The district authorities, however, remained on alert against floods due to heavy rains in the catchment areas of Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers. The Met Office has forecast more rainfall during the next 24 hours. Continue reading
