One of the kingdom’s major banking companies has opened its hearts to the community as it prepares to host an art exhibition featuring works painted by children from the Bahrain Down’s Syndrome Society Centre (BDSS).

Gulf International Bank (GIB) will display the artwork in its head office in Manama from September 21 to October 13 as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, which began with 15 members of GIB staff members volunteering to help the disabled children craft their masterpieces on an activity day back in March.

The exhibition is called ‘Ayadi Al Amal’, which means ‘Hands of Hope’.

Nader Shaheen, head of corporate communications and corporate social responsibility at GIB, said: “The concept of this initiative came whilst we were organising the volunteer day at the centre.

“We discussed with the BDSS and thought that such an exhibition would be beneficial to raise awareness of Down’s syndrome to the general public. Hopefully, we’ll raise some good money for the society along the way too.”

This is the first exhibition of its type that GIB has organised, although previous communal goodwill endeavours have been pursued in fields such as career development, women’s empowerment, health awareness, the environment, skills-building and vocational training for underprivileged people in both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

According to Nader, the decision to do something for the BDSS was an easy one to make. He explained: “We want to support charities with long-term positive results. BDSS works towards the development of providing local service available to individuals with Down’s syndrome in the fields of health, psychology, education and social service, whilst offering direct and indirect support to individuals with Down’s syndrome, their parents and their families.”

Each of the 60 paintings created on the volunteer day will be on display at the exhibition. The starting price for each piece will be BD20, but they will be auctioned so, hopefully, enthusiastic visitors will drive the price up and, therefore, increase the size of donations. For those wishing to give a smaller sum, a donation box will be displayed for kind members of the public.

Down’s syndrome is a genetic condition that typically causes some level of learning disability and characteristic physical features, although the level of this varies between individuals. Many babies born with Down’s syndrome are diagnosed with the condition after birth.

Dr Mohammed Almannai, director of the BDSS centre in Adliya, said: “Firstly, we’d like to thank the bank for their support and also for their donations. They’ve been wonderful to us.

“When GIB staff came to the centre, they helped about 40 Bahraini children between five and 20 to paint the art that will be showcased at the exhibition.”

In Bahrain alone there are more than 1,000 families that care for someone that has Down’s syndrome, with more than 600 cases receiving regular care at the BDSS centre. The BDSS was launched in 1988 and has 150 members.

“The exhibition is a great chance for people to see the works of these wonderful children because, unfortunately, a lot of people still see children with Down’s syndrome a certain way,” Dr Mohammed added. “There is still a negative stigma. The message I want to spread from this exhibition is that we can do a lot more than what everyone thinks. We can achieve so much.

“Art is one of the best therapeutic methods and it help the children feel at ease. They have a real sense of accomplishment.”

The Ayadi Al Amal exhibition will be open from September 21 to October 13 at GIB head office, Al Dowali Building, 3 Palace Avenue, Manama. It will be open from Sunday to Thursday from 9am-5pm and ID is required for any visitors, for security purposes. People can donate to the BDSS by contacting them directly on 17825559 or through their website https://b-dss.org