A 10-year-old student in Dubai is actively gathering pre-loved school supplies for a charity in India. In addition, she also teaches music online to underprivileged children weekly.
At her home in Al Safa, Mireya Guliani hosts a book reading drive where young children aged 2 to 12 can borrow, lend, and donate books.
Narrating what inspired her to start this drive, Guliani said: “Previously, when I went for a holiday to India, I saw underprivileged children going to school with plastic bags or worn out cloth bags. They didn’t have great supplies. When I came back to Dubai I kept thinking as to how I could help them. This thought stayed with me even when I went to school.”
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Guliani added that she realised how many old supplies she had, and the potential of donation. “But I cannot do this alone. So, I decided to make a poster about it and then my mother helped me to share it on WhatsApp groups with community, friends and family,” added the Year 5 student of GEMS Jumeirah Primary School, Dubai.
Between January and April 2024, Mireya managed to collect 10-15 school bags, 5-10 lunch boxes, approximately 10 water bottles, and some partly used notebooks.
“Every two days, we got donations and we kept collecting and storing those in our store room. I feel, if we can have ‘back to school shopping every year,’ then we should also have ‘kids helping kids every year’.”
In April, when Mireya went to visit her grandparents in Gurgaon (India), she carried all the supplies for donation in India.
“I was somewhat disappointed that we could not personally deliver it there due to ongoing farmer protests on the roads, but we arranged for it to be couriered to Harmony House instead, which is a charitable organisation registered in India to help underprivileged children,” added the young expat.
She aims to raise more awareness and contribute further. “The charity has confirmed to us that there are more than 1,000 children, with these numbers only increasing. These are the children of daily wage earners, who are provided free education and meals. Therefore, I want to continue the project on an annual basis,” she added.
Teaching music online
Guliani also teaches piano and vocal skills to early learners, aged 5 to 7, from this charity. Additionally, she reads books to them and discusses the stories afterwards via Zoom.
“I come back early from school on Fridays, so my parents suggested I use this time productively,” she says.
Guliani is trained in music, holding a grade 6 in vocals, a grade 6 in piano, and a grade 1 in violin.
“I want less fortunate children to gain music knowledge, express themselves, and be happier. A teacher on the opposite end uses a laptop and a small keyboard. Lessons start with vocal exercises. Afterward, I narrate nursery rhymes and even sing birthday songs if someone is celebrating their birthday there,” she added.
‘V Read and V Swap’
But her philanthropic streak doesn’t end here. She has also started a home library called “V Read and V Swap” for Al Safa community kids every Saturday from 11am to 1pm.
“We would be happy if children from other communities across the UAE also come to swap books. I maintain a log of books swapped. I also accept donation of used books to add to the library,” she said.