Community Investment Committee gives the gift of reading to Orphans

31 Dec 2019
A kid reading a book
Community Investment Committee planned an initiative called “IQRA” to raise awareness on the importance of reading, education and knowledge.

As we at BAE Systems Saudi Development and Training (BAES SDT) acknowledge the importance of giving back, contributing to our society and participating in its growth, the Community Investment Committee planned an initiative called “IQRA” to raise awareness on the importance of reading, education and knowledge.

We approached Ensan Social Club to turn this idea into a reality, where we targeted youth orphans, as they are very important to us. Ensan Social Club welcomed the cooperation and have been supportive, which shows their ultimate commitment and desire to develop, empower, support “Al-Abna’a” with whatever it takes, and for that, we are grateful.
Our initiative started by renovating the Club Library, where a local interior designer called Lama Al-Muhaini volunteered to design and make the change happen. Mr. Bader Al-Dail VP PR & Communications and the Community Investment Team launched the library on Wednesday 16 October 2019 with the presence of Ensan Leaders & Al-Abna’a.
On the opening day, we kicked off a reading competition called “Rowwad,” which we organised to ensure the effectiveness of our initiative and to motivate “Al-Abna’a” to participate and compete to be nominated for a finale event at our Headquarters in Riyadh.
We decided to name the Club Library “IQRA” (Recite, Read) as this word holds a special meaning to all Muslims as it was first word revealed in the Holy Quran to our Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) from Allah. The Holy Qur’an stresses the importance of reading, studying, reflecting and investigating, and this is a commandment prescribed to all Muslims. This concept was the inspiration behind the library design in order for Al-Abna’a to have a constant reminder of it and to keep them motivated.
Participants have been given around four weeks to read a book of their choice and create a PowerPoint presentation focusing on four areas:
1.Summary of the book
2.Things they enjoyed while reading
3.Things they didn’t like while reading
4.Feedback on the overall experience
 

The CI team invited the top participants to compete at the Finale event at BAE Systems SDT attended by BAE Systems SDT employees and senior leaders.
Participants presented their work to the panel of judges consisting of employees from our Company. The panel announced the names of top three winners, who were recognised by BAE Systems SDT CEO Dr. Abdulatif AlShaikh and received prizes for their efforts.
Our commitment to the betterment of our community is something we take seriously at BAE Systems SDT and we are thankful for the support of our employees and those contributing to the success of our local society.