Culture & Education | Wednesday 3 June, 2015 12:34 am |

The environment and helping others were the fun themesof this year’s ‘Kids Read’ story telling campaign that took place on 30th May. Supported by HSBC Bank Middle East Limited and developed by the British Council, the campaign targets children 6-10years of age and their parents,with a focus on promoting reading for pleasure among primary school children.

‘Kids Read’ included storytelling and arts and crafts activities as well as a workshop for parents on helping their children learn English.

“It is our pleasure to host Kids Read for the fourth consecutive year. Our aim is to encourage reading for pleasure, both inside and outside the classroom, among primary school children,” Marc Jessel, Country Director of The British Council UAE, said. “We seek to unleash creativity in kids by organising arts and crafts activities related to our themes each year. Likewise, our dedicated workshop will give tips to parents on how to help their kids have fun while reading at home.”

Abdulfattah Sharaf, UAE CEO of HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, said: “Education sits at the heart of our commitment to the communities in which we operate. Over the past four years, in collaboration with the British Council, we have engaged over 50,000 children and parents, providing support and learning opportunities through the Kids Read programme.”

The campaign is themed on the core message of ‘Reading is Fun’. The British Council understands that kids who read consistently perform better academically. Therefore, Kids Read has been transformed to become a regional award-winning reading programme dedicated to educating children in a very interactive way.

Over 13 countries in the Middle East and North Africa region are taking part in Kids Read every year. Developed in 2011, the campaign has helped thousands of children develop basics of reading that would definitely reflect on academic performance and leisure time patterns.