Two young boys from Dubai have used their special day for a special purpose. After reading Cheryl-Samantha Owen’s articles in 7Days, ‘This Year Think Blue’ and ‘Losing Nemo’, the youngsters were inspired to hold a ‘Marine Life’ themed joint birthday party with a twist.
Breaking tradition and making a powerful statement, the boys raised AED 1,310 by requesting donations for SOSF from their guests rather than birthday gifts. Such valuable donations assist SOSF to continue supporting important ocean research projects while raising public awareness of the major threats facing our oceans today.
One of the boys, Sufyaan, who is 9 years old says “I wish we humans would just stop and think for a second about what we are doing to this planet”. His younger counterpart, 6 year old Lahaan adds “our watery cousins can’t save themselves, but we can help them by influencing every person in the world”.
Sufyaan and Lahaan have proved the old saying true, ‘from little things, big things grow’. They have made a difference, not just by raising money, but also by using a unique opportunity to inform their friends of important environmental issues and inspired them to action.
Such an example confirms that with a little imagination and initiative we can all make a difference.