Emirates Airline Foundation to help build new facility for Safe Centre for Autism and Asperger's Syndrome

DUBAI: The Emirates Airline Foundation pledged support to fund the construction of a new building for the Safe Centre for Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome primarily to boost its capacity to serve more children.
The center, which the National Association of Freight and Logistics (NAFL) also supports through various charitable activities, will be relocated to a new 20,000 square foot facility, allowing it to serve 100 additional children in need of special education services from just over 40. The new facility is slated to be completed in autumn 2018.
The new facility design accommodates more comprehensive programs for children on the autism spectrum with focus on communication, interaction, behaviors and responses, social competencies and sensory processing, the UAE government said.

The planned facility will house 12 additional classrooms which include spacious backyards, a playground and quiet rooms, speech therapy rooms, occupational therapy rooms, a sensory room equipped with leisure facilities, art and music rooms, a vocational service room, a swimming pool, and an indoor and outdoor play area. This is in addition to two new dining areas, meeting rooms and a library.
The initiative is being spearheaded by the Emirates Airline Foundation under the UAE’s Year of Giving, a national initiative led by President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The aim of the UAE’s Year of Giving is to provide a framework for philanthropic initiatives, strategies and programs intended to celebrate giving and cement philanthropy at the heart of the UAE’s social fabric. Children are at the core of the Emirates Airline Foundation’s philanthropic work, and through its support of the Safe Centre for Autism, it aims to help open the doors of opportunity for children with special needs in the UAE.

Commenting on the announcement, Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline and Chairman of the Emirates Airline Foundation, said: “The Emirates Airline Foundation is supported by the generous donations of our passengers and we are proud to be able to fund the building of this new facility for Safe Centre. Since its inception, the centre has been providing important education opportunities tailored to children with special needs, and we hope that the new facility will continue to be a valuable resource in the UAE for children on the autism spectrum and their families.”

Mahbouba Yousuf, Managing Director of Safe Centre for Autism & Asperger’s Syndrome, said: “The Emirates Airline Foundation has been a generous supporting organisation of our centre since its opening in 2010. We are grateful for the foundation’s significant contribution for the construction of our new facilities. This will enable us to take additional staff, and ensure our centre has a sustainable future in providing quality treatment and education for even more children, and help make a difference as they grow into adulthood.”

ZAYED HUMANITARIAN WORK DAY.
In this undated file photo released by the UAE state news agency WAM on the occasion of the Zayed Humanitarian Work Day on June 14, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the country’s founding father, is widely credited for his wise leadership in carrying the flag of nation building, renaissance and comprehensive development.
Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Zayed Higher Organization for Humanitarian Care and Special Needs, said the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the force behind the unification of the seven emirates of the UAE, carefully considered people in all of his decisions.
Sheikh Khalid stressed the UAE founding father’s love for humanitarian work has been realized by his sons, under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who has established many humanitarian organizations and expanded regional and international humanitarian activities, along with the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed