Letters

Tamkeen, in co-operation with Bahrain Islamic Bank (BISB) and FinMark Communications, will be hosting a mentorship and networking event aimed at raising awareness of the importance and benefits of professional mentorship in the development of the next generation of young Bahraini business leaders.

The event will take place this evening from 5pm to 8pm at Gallery 21 and will bring together representatives from a number of successful professional mentorship programmes and initiatives alongside other senior human resources professionals sharing stories of mentorship success.

The discussion will focus on addressing the benefits for both young male and female professionals as they look to achieve career progression and assume leadership roles in the future.

Panelists will include Dawood Al Ashhab, head of human resources and general services at BiSB, an active mentor and member of the Steering Committee of the Women’s Professional Leadership Initiative (WPLI), a new women’s development initiative in Bahrain, Dana Buhiji, chief human resources officer at NBB and steering committee member of WPLI, a board member of Reach, the first non-profit organisation dedicated to the mentorship of women professionals in the Middle East, and a representative from Tamkeen’s soon-to-be launched Career Mentorship Programme.

Encouraged to join the event are all professionals interested in potentially becoming mentors and mentees from across the many vibrant sectors in Bahrain’s economy including banking, insurance, hospitality, media and telecommunications, industrial and healthcare, to name a few.

With Bahrain’s vast pool of talent, we look forward to welcoming many potential mentors and mentees to the event and to exploring opportunities to share and gain work and leadership experience.

Discussion moderator Zahraa Taher, MD at FinMark Communications.

Editor’s note: Those interested in taking part, contact 17749759 to register and for more information.

The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has launched a digital campaign that aims to secure much-needed support for millions of displaced Syrian children, both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries.

The campaign aims to help millions of school-aged Syrians access education and to go back to school.

According to UN reports, one out of every three schools in Syria has been damaged or destroyed, while more are used as shelters or for other purposes, thus creating a major impediment for more than two million children’s access to education within the country. In neighboring countries, the situation is equally troubling as increasing poverty and debt among refugees has prevented some 700,000 Syrian children from attending school.

As parents and caregivers in the region prepare their children to return to school, we hope that children who have been deprived of their basic right to education remain in their thoughts. We believe that we can all ensure that they do not lose out on their education.

The humanitarian crisis in Syria, now in its eighth year, has resulted in multiple challenges for Syrian children, particularly with regards to access to education which directly impacts future. Conflict, harsh conditions and limited financial resources have deprived almost three million Syrian school-age children of education, including inside Syria and neighbouring countries in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Supporting education is one of UNHCR’s most important priorities – it is an invaluable investment in the future of refugee and displaced children as well as a key form of psycho-social protection. Education protects displaced families and children from having to resort to negative coping mechanisms such as child labour, early marriage, among others.

UNHCR and its partners have been providing education to refugees and displaced persons since the onset of the humanitarian crisis in Syria. This has been achieved by focusing on three key aspects: access to education, improving the quality of education and strengthening educational systems.

Through this campaign, UNHCR seeks to complement its efforts to ensure the rehabilitation of schools, training of teachers and the provision of resources to displaced and refugee families to ensure education for millions of children.

The campaign has been supported by celebrities and social media influencers from the region. The interactive digital push encourages members of the public to share their school memories, showing solidarity with displaced children who are out of school, with the ultimate objective of bringing about change by building greater empathy.

To support children’s access to education, visit UNHCR’s secure electronic donation platform: https://giving.unhcr.org/en/syria/

Houssam Chahine, head of private sector partnerships in the Middle East and North Africa region at UNHCR.

The Manama Singers are starting back for the autumn term and can’t wait to be singing again. We are always on the lookout for new singers to join our friendly bunch! We meet on Tuesday evenings 7pm-9pm at the Dilmun Club in Saar so come along if you want to join us!

Jo Mings, musical director.

Editor’s note: For more details email jo.c.mings@gmail.com or call 17690926.