Dubai - MENA Herald: The Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation (MBRF), a member of the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives, reports that a large number of government and private agencies have already joined its “My Family Reads” initiative.
The Foundation had launched the initiative in 2014 in an effort to disseminate culture and promote reading among all segments of society and family members in the UAE.
His Excellency Jamal bin Huwaireb, Managing Director of the Foundation, said that MBRF activated and expanded its initiative in order to keep up with the aspirations of the UAE with regards to reading and spreading knowledge in society. His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE announced that 2016 will be the “Year of Reading”, whereby members of all communities in all seven emirates are encouraged to adopt reading as a daily habit.
HE bin Huwaireb also gave credit for the initiative to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who had expressed a clear vision that underlined the importance of reading and the need to promote it in order to raise the level of knowledge among Emirati families and the general public in the UAE.
To that end, HE explained, the Foundation is reaching out to government and private agencies to consolidate efforts towards achieving the objectives of the initiative in disseminating knowledge, and to update the distributed packages to include a wider variety books addressed to all family members.
The initiative has had a great reach since its launch, and received praise from the individuals and families that benefitted from its packages – a collection of 20 books from around the world, including classics and best-selling titles, selected based on the Foundation’s criteria. These books – translated into Arabic and distributed to families in the UAE – discuss topics such as history, world heritage, issues concerning the family, administration, the art of dealing with everyday issues, in addition to books for children and young people.
The list of parties involved in the “My Family Reads” initiative includes: The Ministry of Economy, Dubai Customs, Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology (EASM), the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (RTA), the Department of Economic Development in Dubai, the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), Union Cooperative Society, Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), Mohamed Hilal Group, Emirates NBD, Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalid Al Nahyan Cultural Center, Emirates Islamic Bank, Dubai Islamic Bank, Securities and Commodities Authority.
In addition to that, a number of private companies have joined the effort, including: Aramex, Turkish Airlines, Emirates Global Aluminium, Wasl Properties, Askaan Real Estate, Al Tamimi & Company, Texpo LLC, Ankabut, Al Majlis Events, Masar, Al Rais Tours & Holidays, PROGEN General Trading LLC, Sharaf Travel, Wall Street Exchange, Dragon Oil.