Children's Success Stories
Sixth-Grader Discovers the Pleasure of Reading
“Whenever I held a book in my hands, I would feel them shaking. I was always saying to myself: ‘Oh, my God! How can I read all this? It is impossible.’ But my attitude completely changed after I joined the programme.”
This is how Luay Shaaban Islim, a 12-year-old student in the sixth grade from Alm’tasim Billah School in Gaza, describes his feelings after he started attending the Reading Together programme at the Qattan Centre for the Child (QCC). In a short period of time, Luay was able to type letters, arrange words in construction games, and form whole phrases fluently.
Luay’s story with the Centre began when he first visited the QCC’s library during the winter of 2010. Luay tried hard to choose simple books to read. “Despite my passion for adventure stories, I was not able to read them at all,” he says. “I tried to understand them using the illustrations and to read a few words, but it was difficult. This is why I was very keen to attend all the Programme meetings every Sunday and Wednesday at the Qattan Centre for more than two months. ” He adds, “Now I’ve read My Friend the Tree, The Golden Calf, and Sara in the Kitchen.”
Rosaline’s Painting and Doll-Making
“I was curious about the staircase in the library,” says Rosaline Katbeh, a 10-year-old who frequents the Centre with her sisters. “I saw that children were going up and going down, and I decided to explore the secret of the staircase. At the top, I found a space where children were busy painting colourful pictures. I chose a seat and cautiously watched them for a while. I was surprised when a lady (the animation instructor) gave me a piece of paper and asked me, ‘Do you want to paint?’ I took the paper and started painting.”
Afterward, Rosaline decided to attend courses in painting and art. “I have always been interested in painting,” she says. Gradually, the Qattan Centre became a central part of her life. She visits most days, and participates in several activities and programmes, including computing courses and traditional dabke, while still spending most of her time painting in the studio. She received encouragement from her family at home and friends at the Centre.
A year ago, Rosaline and her mother joined a course in doll-making. Rosaline’s favourite dolls to make were animals. After the course, she began to try new kinds of sewing and embroidery. She showed them to her friends and her sewing teacher. She began to learn more advanced pattern-making, embroidery and decoration, and sewed a whole collection of animal dolls.
Rosaline dreams of one day having a studio where she can sew, and of exhibiting her dolls.
Young Programmer Saif Jamal Abdul Latif
“I expect to become one of the most well-known people in programming, especially in the video game industry,” 14-year-old Saif says with confidence.
Saif Abdul Latif is a member of the Qattan Centre for the Child, where he is well- known for his work making 3D video games using Kodo software.
Saif’s first experience at the Centre was his participation in a Kodo course, which teaches programming principles for 3D video games. He proved to have outstanding skills when it came to solving programming problems. He became a committed member of the Qattan Programmer’s Club and within a short period of time Saif had developed a number of creative and distinctive games. He is on his way to his dream career in programming.
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| Sixth grader Luay Islim discovers the joy of reading |
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Rosaline Katbeh’s talent as a painter surpasses her young age |
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| Saif Abdul Latif, a young 3D video games programmer |