Kalimat Foundation and Tunis-based ALECSO Join Forces to Deliver High-Quality Content to Arab World's Blind & Visually Impaired Children

The partnership will expand Kalimat Foundation’s access to new geographic areas and fuel new collaboration opportunities with other organisations that support visually challenged children

Sharjah, November 16, 2022

Furthering its mission to empower differently-abled children by providing them with knowledge in accessible formats, Kalimat Foundation, the UAE-based global non-profit, has signed a partnership agreement with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organisation (ALECSO), a Tunis-based institution operating under the umbrella of the League of Arab States, to further the foundation’s reach through its Ara (‘I see’) initiative to every part of the Arab world.
The new partnership is a cumulation of a meeting between Bodour Al Qasimi, President of the International Publishers Association (IPA), Founder and Chairperson of Kalimat Foundation, with Mohamed Ouled Amar, Director-General, ALECSO, held in Tunis earlier this year, to expand the reach of the Foundation in new geographic areas across the Arab World, and explore partnership opportunities with other organisations focused on supporting blind and visually impaired children. 

The partnership stipulates that ALESCO - an entity concerned with the development and coordination of the activities related to education, culture and sciences in the Arab World, and children’s access to quality, equitable and inclusive education to achieve SDG and the Education 2030 goals - will coordinate and facilitate the Foundation’s contributions of reading content in formats including print braille, large print, audio and accessible EPUB books to organisations in Arab countries.

The agreement also calls for strengthening communication between the two parties and attending events they organise.
The partnership agreement was signed virtually recently by Amna Al Mazmi, Manager of Kalimat Foundation and Dr.Rami Iskander, Director of the Education Department, ALECSO. 

Amna Al Mazmi noted: “This partnership agreement will support and advance our efforts to deliver quality content to blind and visually impaired children. Through it, we will expand our outreach to new locations to serve vulnerable segments of the community. These goals align with our vision and mission to empower children by providing engaging and accessible learning materials that will unleash their imaginations, build their capacities and broaden their horizons.”
Dr. Mohammed Ould Amar, Director General, ALECSO, said: “We are keen on partnering with entities that support the dissemination of knowledge and culture in the Arab world, especially for marginalised segments, including blind and visually impaired children. This partnership supports our shared goals of providing learning materials in accessible formats, honouring a human right essential to ensuring that reading, learning and the appreciation of art, literature, culture and sciences is enjoyed in an inclusive manner in the Arab world.

Through the Ara initiative, Kalimat Foundation has provided high-quality content in formats including print braille, large print, audio and accessible EPUB books in 33 locations across 10 countries worldwide.