Special needs children spare no effort for Mother's Day

The heart-shaped cookies that Ayma made Thursday were extra special. From adding the right ingredients and ensuring accurate quantities to rolling the dough smooth and making tiny hearts out of it, she, along with her classmates at the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre, went out their task with an almost professional touch. The love the children want to express to their mothers a week from now seemed almost tangible. From baking cookies, painting hearts, making cake, rehearsing dance performances and drawing cards — the students at the Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre were engaged in numerous activities, eager to make their Mother's Day celebrations really special. The celebrations will be dedicated to Shaikha Hind Bint Maktoum Bin Juma Al Maktoum, wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice-President of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai. "We made cookies today and we are celebrating Mother's Day," said Ayma. "I love my mom and I will gift her earrings," said 14-year-old Soha Ameen Aziz, from the senior girls class, describing how wonderful her mother was. "We have prepared them for these celebrations. The students were told about Mother's Day, how important their family is to them. These celebrations are dedicated to Shaikha Hind and we have a wide range of activities," Mariam Othman, director of Rashid Paediatric Centre, told Gulf News. The celebrations started with art and cookery sessions followed by dance performances and other activities. The students painted hearts and made cards for their mothers. Later, they all gathered together in the form of a big heart to conclude the day's celebrations. "When we talked about expressing their love, these students came up with the idea of making personal cards," said Ruth, an art teacher at the centre. The celebrations will continue and on the big day next week they will present a special show as well.