ABOUT US

العربية

Kalimat Foundation is a non-profit organisation founded in Sharjah, under the patronage of Bodour Al Qasimi. The foundation, which began operations in 2016, was launched to uphold children’s rights to access books, in particular those from the Middle East region who are victims of war and forced displacement, and those who are visually disabled.

With the aim of building better prospects in learning and subsequently opportunities in adulthood, Kalimat Foundation’s principles are founded upon advancing literacy.

We provide vulnerable and visually disabled children access to reading material. For the ones living amongst refugee and asylum seeking diaspora, the objective is to engage them in contemporary literature whilst maintaining bonds with the Arabic customs and heritage, from which they originate.

Our work and objectives go further to promote the outcomes of the 2013 Marrakesh Treaty, acceded by the United Arab Emirates, for the wider availability of books published in accessible formats, to benefit the blind, the visually impaired, and those who have print disabilities. In similar accord Kalimat Foundation and the Accessible Books Consortium, a public private partnership headed by the World Intellectual Property Organization, partnered one another in 2018, for the production of born accessible books in the Arabic language.

We have a tradition steeped in literature and publishing. Sharjah, the city in which we are headquartered was awarded UNESCO World Book Capital 2019. Bodour Al Qasimi, our chairperson is president of the International Publishers Association, founder of the Emirates Publishers Association, and founder and patron of the UAE Board on Books for Young People. Kalimat Group for which she is founder and CEO, is an award-winning publishing house benefiting from 450 titles, of which 120 are written by acclaimed authors; licensing and distribution rights in 16 countries, and international partnerships constituting Bloomsbury in the United Kingdom, Quarto in the United States, France’s Editions Gallimard Jeunesse and Italy’s Galluci Editore.

OUR MISSION

We serve vulnerable and visually disabled children, equipping and empowering them with knowledge and ideas in books, through a variety of accessible formats.

OUR VISION

Our vision is to instil a love for reading amongst disadvantaged youth, to inspire them with new possibilities and ideals.

OUR MANDATE

EMPOWERING
CHILDREN

Through the provision of engaging reading material to vulnerable and visually disabled children from Arabic communities, we aim to ease social integration and also anchor cultural roots, for the purpose of building better prospects in learning and better opportunities in adulthood.

HONOURING
ARABIC CULTURE

We encourage and facilitate, the production and distribution of books in Arabic, in order to protect and sustain culture, heritage and a secure sense of belonging.

BRIDGING COMMUNITIES

Kalimat Foundation is committed to connecting civil society, by supplying literary titles that encourage understanding and dialogue between communities. In similar respect, stories present contemporary social analogies for youngsters, with the aim of supporting integration.

RAISING AWARENESS

We are dedicated to raising awareness on the importance of advancing literacy to disadvantaged youth. We do this through our work in distribution, events hosted to educate the public on literacy for the vulnerable and visually disabled, workshops on new technologies and workflows in accessible publishing, and agreements with publishers and businesses to boost production in formats such as braille, large print, audio and EPUB.

BUILDING NETWORKS

Kalimat Foundation is dedicated to building a global community with business, institutions, government and non-government bodies, to broaden effectiveness in accessible publishing, from production to distribution.

FULFILLING NEEDS

As a policy advisor, we assess populations represented by the underserved in our scope of work, their demographics, capabilities, and the teaching, literary and technological resources available or missing. The objective here being to understand needs and gaps to address.

THE ROAD TO EMPOWERMENT

With a purpose for advancing literacy amongst vulnerable and visually disabled children, equipping them
with reading skills and knowledge, anchoring cultural roots, bridging communities and developing world
class networks; Kalimat Foundation has a growing footprint around the globe. Here is how we have
progressed.

The road to empowerment

2016
August 1

APR 2016

العربية

idea

Founding team formed. Operations begin with a mandate to protect the rights of vulnerable and visually disabled children, in their ability to access books and develop reading skills.

2017
April 4

APR 2017

العربية

braille

30,000 accessible book formats published constituting print braille, large print and audio, pre-empting the Ara initiative.

May 4

MAY 2017

العربية

book-shelf

1,000 books donated to the Emirati Jordanian refugee camp on an outset programme prior to the Pledge a Library initiative launch.

August 1

AUG 2017

العربية

rocket

Ara initiative launched with the goal of distributing and producing books, for visually impaired and blind children.

November 1

NOV 2017

العربية

inauguration

Pledge a Library initiative launched at Sharjah International Book Fair 2017, with the aim of delivering books in Arabic, to Middle Eastern refugee and asylum-seeking groups around the world.

December 5

DEC 2017

العربية

book-shelf

2,000 books distributed to children in refugee and asylum-seeking communities in Sweden.

December 7

DEC 2017

العربية

braille

400 braille, large print and audio books distributed to visually disabled children in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

2018
March 5

MAR 2018

العربية

surveyor

Surveying beings on populations of visually impaired and blind children in the Middle East, North and East Africa.

November 1

NOV 2018

العربية

contract

WIPO-led Accessible Books Consortium and Kalimat Foundation agree on collaboration for the production of born accessible books in Arabic, adapted for visually disabled children.

December 1

DEC 2018

العربية

book-shelf

3,500 books distributed to children in refugee and asylum-seeking communities in Armenia, Brazil, France, Germany, Hong Kong and Tunisia.

December 3

DEC 2018

العربية

braille

1,450 braille, large print and audio books distributed to visually disabled children in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

2019
April 1

APR 2019

العربية

presentation

10 MENA publishing houses trained on born accessible production for the visually disabled.

December 1

DEC 2019

العربية

book-shelf

6,100 books distributed to children in refugee and asylum-seeking communities in Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Russia and Greece.

December 3

DEC 2019

العربية

braille

1,580 braille, large print and audio books distributed to visually disabled children in Kuwait, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.

2020
January 1

FEB 2020

العربية

ribbon

Ara shortlisted for the ABC 2020 international Excellence Awards, under the initiative category.

April 5

APR 2020

العربية

EPUB3

100 accessible EPUB3 books produced in Arabic, allowing for advanced benefit in reading on digital platforms for the visually impaired and blind.

December 1

DEC 2020

العربية

book-shelf

500 books distributed to children in refugee and asylum-seeking communities in the United Kingdom, Kenya and Somalia.

2021
January 1

JAN 2021

العربية

braille

1,366 braille, large print and audio books distributed to visually disabled children in Palestine and the United Arab Emirates.

April 1

APR 2021

العربية

Partnership agreement signed with Book Aid International for Africa, in support of the Pledge a Library initiative.

November 1

NOV 2021

العربية

contract

Memorandum of Understanding signed with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, to help identify and recommend recipients who match the foundation’s distribution objectives.

2022
June 1

JUN 2022

العربية

ribbon

The UAE Ministry of Economy approves Kalimat Foundation as the first Emirati non-profit organisation licensed to publish titles in accessible formats, in accordance with the statutes and aims defined in the WIPO-led Marrakesh VIP Treaty.

October 1

OCT 2022

العربية

contract

Memorandum of Understanding signed with Sharjah Public Libraries and House of Wisdom to support Ara – Phase 2.

November 1

NOV 2022

العربية

contract
  • Memorandum of Understanding signed with the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), to help identify and recommend recipients who match the foundation’s distribution objectives.
  • Ara shortlisted for a second time at the ABC 2022 international Excellence Awards, under the initiative category.
2023
May 1

MAY 2023

العربية

  • Launched a merchandise line in collaboration with the Emirati artist Mohammed Al Mansoori and assigned him as Kalimat Foundation’s first ambassador to support “Pledge a Library”.
  • Memorandum of Understanding signed with Majid Al Futtaim.
July 1

JULY 2023

العربية

Granted ‘Authorized Entity’ on the ABC Global Book Service, and became the 1st entity from the MENA region to integrate its accessible catalogue.

October 1

OCT 2023

العربية

ribbon

ABC Special Commendation Award


Close Bitnami banner
Bitnami