KWB and Dubai Police collaborate for UAE’s Year of Reading

Following the directive of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, to make 2016 the Year of Reading in the UAE, Rashid Al Kous, the General Manager of the Sharjah-based Knowledge Without Borders (KWB) has met with H.E. Colonel Khalid Ali Shuhail, Assistant Director of the General Department of Community Service, Dubai Police to discuss possible collaborations.

During the meeting the possibility of launching mutual initiatives to spread the culture of reading in both Sharjah and Dubai as part of the Year of Reading was discussed. It was agreed that KWB will form a special committee to conduct a field visit to Dubai Police mobile library to view its operation and to mutually agree on what books should be provided to benefit the police officers both culturally and professionally. 

Rashid Al Kous said, “We are pleased to cooperate with the Dubai Police H.Q. It could not have come at a more opportune time as we usher in a New Year which His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan decreed to be a Year of Reading in the UAE. We also consider the outcome of this meeting to be the first step in the nationalization of this project across all seven emirates, which will help us achieve our aim of making reading a daily habit that is accessible anywhere and not just limited to public libraries, schools or homes. Books will become a constant companion that people can carry everywhere, regardless of age or level of education.”

Al Kous presented KWB experience and the efforts made to spread the culture of reading among UAE families in Sharjah. He also highlighted the project’s most important initiatives such as the On-Board Library initiative, launched last April in cooperation with Air Arabia and the Home Library initiative, which has distributed one million books to 20 thousand Emirati families in Sharjah, providing 50 books to each.  He also revealed the second stage of the project, which aims to distribute 250 thousand books to a further 5000 UAE families in Sharjah during 2016.

H.E. Colonel Khalid Ali Shuhail, praised His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah for all the initiatives that aim to strengthen and spread the culture of reading for everyone. He also thanked KWB’s team for their kind reception and hospitality, and for giving Dubai Police the chance to find out more about the project and ways to encourage all members of the police force to read more. 

Knowledge without Borders was launched as an initiative by His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, and is supervised and supported by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Head of the Organizing Committee of KWB. The initiative aims to establish reading as a noble habit in every household in the UAE, by encouraging the establishment of home libraries, and supplying these libraries with best reads in various domains suitable for the entire family.