Dubai duo take on new peak — for a cause
Zolotova and Khalaf aim to raise awareness about school for displaced children
Two Dubai residents are preparing to scale the tallest peak in South America — Mount Aconcagua — in February to raise awareness about the Emirates Red Crescent Learning Centre, a school created for displaced children whose education has been disrupted.
Olga Zolotova, 27, from Russia, and Lebanese-Canadian Mohammad Khalaf, 30, have set themselves a personal target of climbing seven summits — the highest peaks of each continent, with each ascent being dedicated to noble causes in their community.
The school, which opened last year, has 120 children ages 8 to 12 from disadvantaged backgrounds, with many coming from Syrian refugee camps.
“When they tried to enter the local schools, they were rejected as, at their ages, they couldn’t write and read. So Red Crescent created this special learning centre with the specific basic educational programme for kids of older ages,” said Mohammad Al Hajj Al Zarouni, Director of the Dubai branch of Emirates Red Crescent.
The school is funded through collaborations with local organisations, companies, and donations from individuals, he added.
“The purpose is to eventually integrate these children, some of whom are orphans, into the local schools and to have space for the next batch of kids,” Al Zarouni said.
In support of the cause, Zolotova has launched a campaign inviting the public to contribute by donating stationery items through Emirates Red Crescent donation boxes, which will be placed in Times Square Centre from February 6 to 28 every day from 10am to 10pm.
Emirates Red Crescent is also partnering with Uber as part of the campaign to support the new learning centre.
“We start our climb on February 12th,” Zolotova said.
As they prepare to climb their third summit together, they sought to highlight that while they come from different cultures and backgrounds, their belief in giving back to society is what unites them.