In our world today, the divide between the haves and have-nots is slowly increasing. Some of us have been fortunate enough to be able to indulge in the luxurious side of life, while others have been struggling to make ends meet. When one thinks about what it is to be poor, the first thing that springs to mind is minimal or lack of income. Not having enough income does handicap a person, and limits their ability to be able to live a comfortable lifestyle, and sometimes leads people to make tough choices.
Luckily in Kuwait, the standard of living is pretty high, so where am I going with this, you may ask? I’m referring to our education. Education is vital to be able to further oneself in life. My father was an avid believer, that with an education, one can do anything, and that nothing is impossible, that is why a cause such as Bake & Educate is important and vital and should be supported.
What is Bake & Educate you may ask? It is a Kuwaiti concept, founded by Noor Al-Obaid, and it focuses on aiding kids in schools in Kuwait. Noor started this organization last year, with full support of her family. She says that her mother always encouraged them to help the less fortunate and to realize that the life they are living in was a blessing, and that not everyone was as lucky. Noor says that Kuwaitis are lucky, something she has recently learned herself.
“I learnt that we truly are lucky and people suffer so much and that we are born into ignorance, that we don’t even notice what they others go through. I believed that someone should give back to the community, someone needed to help these people who deserve so much more in life.”
That is when she took the proactive approach and asked her mother to help her with the idea she had in her head. She credits her mother's selfless trait as an inspiration, as she too loves to help people without wanting in return.
Bake & Educate is a charity organization that focuses on people whose families are not in a position to financially fund they're education. It’s a non-profit organization where Bake & Educate merges with citizens of Kuwait who are hoping to give back to society and help these children in need.
“Some of them have had a parent pass away and are not able to cover their tuitions, others have had the economic crisis hit the family really hard and cannot afford an education for their child. Each family is unique but I believe that each person deserves an education, so why not be the person to give them that gift?”
This year’s event will be hosted at Bayt Lothan, who have hosted the event in the previous year as well. Bayt Lothan has been very helpful, and have shown their support in wanting to help such a great cause. This year’s event is going to be bigger than the previous year, with an exhibition style set up. The objective and the mission? For people to bake amazing, yummy goods, that will be available for sale in individually set up booths. You can contact Noor and the Bake & Educate team to book your stall. The event will take place on the 2nd and 3rd of December, 2011, from 11am to 11pm on Friday and from 12pm until 7pm on Saturday.
Remember to give back for a great cause, if not by participating, but by attending. Help fund for someone’s education, something that we tend to take for granted. And remember, with every purchase, you will be feeding a mind.
For more information follow bake&educate on Twitter @bakeandeducate or email Noor: nooralobaid@gmail.com
– Ghadeer Al-Otaibi
