Read-a-Thon Hit with Students

Read-a-Thon Hit with Students
Staff Reporter KHALEEJ TIMES 4 November 2008

DUBAI - Local schools have signed up over a 100,000 students for the Million Book Challenge.

The focus over the next two weeks is to get kids in Dubai to read the books as part of the Dubai Cares Read-a-thon, two days after the Million Book Challenge was officially launched in Dubai.

The daunting challenge will see students go through one million books in two weeks. The event is part of the Dubai Cares 2008 campaign.

Students can read books in any language from the school libraries, from home or even purchase new books.

For each book read, Dubai Cares will buy a new book and donate it to children in need around the world.

The Read-a-thon, focusing on students aged between three and 14, began at noon on Oct 30 and will end at noon on Nov 16. The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation, on Monday, announced its support of Dubai Cares One Million Book Challenge, pledging 100,000 books to children in need across the Arab world. The books donated by the foundation will cover a wide range of subjects, including international literary classics that will be presented in a simplified and attractive manner.

Several titles will be translated from various languages including English, French, Italian, and Swedish.

“The Million Book Challenge is a fine example to the world about how to think big and how a global city should practise global citizenship.”

Dr Hanif Hassan, Minister of Education, noted that when the Dubai Cares project was launched by Shaikh Mohammed, it was intended to educate a million children.