Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 9 October 2006 - In honor of the holy month of Ramadan students at Al-Mizhar American Academy for Girls (AAG), remember their life-changing trip to Tanzania and begin planning their return trip this year to provide essentials for less fortunate school children.

Last June, Al-Mizhar American Academy for Girls sent a group of six of the school's most motivated students on a community service mission to develop educational facilities in Tanzania, an East African country. The girls took part in International School Moshi's community service camp which hosts schools from around the globe to engage students in building facilities for local disadvantaged schools.   

The girls participated in two development projects; where one group  of  students built a bathroom facility and taught  English to the students at Kidachini School, while the other group built the foundations for a new classroom at Second  Chance Education School. The students learned the tricks of the construction trade by completing the hands-on tasks of digging, brick making, and carrying water from the local river to the foundation sites to mix cement. The girls also raised funds through auctioning their artwork to purchase school supplies for the two schools.

The trip was a true eye-opener for these students as they were confronted with the unfathomable realities of education in the third world. "I couldn't believe it...the girls (at Kidachini) were not able to go to school because there were no toilets...hopefully now more of them will be coming to school to have an education like mine," explained Amal Ibrahim, one of Al-Mizhar Academy for Girls' student volunteers.  The girls also had the opportunity to interact with the Tanzanian students, as well as receive lessons in Swahili, the official state language. "Now that I look  back, on how tiring it was and how long it took just to build the first foundation of the school, it makes me appreciate all the things I have in my life that I always took for  granted,"  confessed Leila Sadoon, another student volunteer.

During the 9-day trip, the girls also visited the local children's orphanage to interact with the orphans which had a tremendous influence on the girls "...Seeing the children so small and young and knowing their parents may have died really touched me on a personal level," explains Sophie McLellan, a high school student.

Community service is not a new concept at Al-Mizhar American Academy for Girls; it is actually part of their curriculum. The concept of giving back is of such importance to Delice Scotto, the school's Principal she has made it a graduation requirement. The school has implemented the Platinum Extra-Curricular Program (PEP) which requires students to meet a minimum number of hours in creative activities, sports, and community service in order to graduate. The girls who participated in the Tanzania trip were able to fulfill their required PEP hours.

"At AAG  we believe that experiences, like this trip to Tanzania, provides the girls with a chance to give back to the  community and prepares them to be active global citizens - all while developing leadership skills and an appreciation for  cultural diversity," explains Mrs. Scotto.

Plans are already underway this year at AAG for a new group of girls to go to Tanzania. The school intends to increase the number of participants to allow more girls to benefit. As last year, only girls who are highly motivated will be selected by their teachers to represent the school. Anxiety is already brewing at the school to see which girls will be selected for this year's trip!

-Ends-

About Beacon Education:
Beacon Education was established to address the growing need for high quality schools in the Middle East. Dubai is the platform from which Beacon Education launched its initial projects, with four schools that opened in September 2005. Beacon Education is financed by Taaleem, a unique Private Joint Stock company that over the next six to eight years will invest over AED 1 billion in educational ventures across the region.

With quality at the forefront, Beacon Education will tailor each project to answer the specific educational needs of families by offering a comprehensive choice of outstanding international curricula from American to British to the International Baccalaureate. The following schools fall under the Beacon Education banner: Al-Mizhar, American Academy for Girls, The Children's Garden, Dubai British School, Raha International School, and Uptown Primary.

For more information, please contact:
Alice Markson
Beacon Education
Tel: +971 43498806
Fax: +971 43498807
E-mail: amarkson@beacon.ae
Website: www.beacon.ae

© Press Release 2006