First, you’re given a pair of dark eyeglasses and headphones. Next, a walking stick is gently thrust into your hands as you’re ushered through the winding installation at the Bahrain City Centre’s Central Galleria. The noise from the outside completely fades out as a voice calls to you, telling you to breathe, to open your eyes, and see the world as Ahmed, a visually impaired person, sees it – all black, all dark. The things you take for granted become so apparent to you in those brief moments of blindness.
Your only guides are Ahmed’s cheerful voice telling you how he loves listening to the laughter of his friends, and how he cherishes the fragrances of the world around him. In the end, as the glasses and headphones come off and the stick is taken away, all you’re left with is a profound sense of gratitude that you, unlike Ahmed, have not lost the gift of sight.
It doesn’t take much to be a light for someone who can’t see it and City Centre Bahrain’s Ramadan campaign is proving it. Within the walls of the premier shopping destination, visitors are invited to try and walk a few steps in the shoes of the visually impaired. The campaign, in partnership with the Royal Humanitarian Foundation, Al Mosawi Eye Center and Optica aims to give back to the community and support the development and progress of all segments of Bahraini society.
The “Be the Gift of Light this Ramadan” campaign by City Centre Bahrain and its partners marks the second year of the mall’s successful #Bealight initiative during the Holy Month of Ramadan which aims to give back to the community and support the development and progress of all segments of Bahraini society.
This year, the campaign focuses on a special #Bealight installation located in the mall’s Central Galleria during Ramadan, offering visitors the opportunity to contribute to the noble cause by going on a short journey of another’s experience and appreciating the challenges faced by the visually impaired during their daily lives. For every person completing the interactive experience, City Centre Bahrain will make a financial donation on their behalf to the Royal Humanitarian Foundation for the medical treatment of people with visual impairment.
“We are delighted to bring our unique #Bealight campaign back this Ramadan, after its overwhelming success last year. With this year’s focus on sight, City Centre Bahrain is once again demonstrating our commitment to uplifting the lives of the Bahraini community through this campaign. We are deeply honoured to partner once again with the Royal Humanitarian Foundation, as well as Al Mosawi Specialist Center and Optica, to offer a new ray of hope to hundreds of people in the Kingdom,” said Duaij Al Rumaihi, Mall Director at City Centre Bahrain.
H.E. Shaikh Ali Bin Khalifa Al Khalifa of Royal Humanitarian Foundation added: “We are proud to support the second year of the #Bealight campaign at City Centre Bahrain that focuses this Ramadan on building awareness around eyesight and healthy vision as well as providing free eye surgeries. Last year’s overwhelming response to the campaign demonstrates the life-changing impact such collective efforts can have on future generations, and we look forward to another year of lighting up the lives of those in need by involving the community and mobilising critical help for the visually impaired.”
As part of the campaign this year, City Centre Bahrain and Al Mosawi Specialist Center worked closely with the Royal Humanitarian Foundation to select 3 candidates for free eye surgeries through an inclusive process. “We are delighted to partner with City Centre Bahrain and the Royal Humanitarian Foundation to offer eye surgeries that can significantly benefit patients in need. At Al Mosawi Specialist Center, we are proud of our role in engaging with the community through the game-changing #Bealight campaign to create a better tomorrow for the people of Bahrain,” said Dr Jalal Al Mosawi of Al Mosawi Specialist Center.
City Centre Bahrain and Optica will be visiting labour camps during Ramadan using Optica’s Mobile Van to conduct on-site eyesight screening and testing – providing workers with valuable updates on the condition of their eyes. “It is a great honour for us to collaborate with City Centre Bahrain and raise awareness of eye care and healthy vision across critical segments of the Bahraini society. We look forward to helping workers with their eye care needs during the #Bealight campaign this Ramadan,” said Abdulamjeed AlHasan of Optica.
It takes a few minutes of your time to be the gift of light for someone this Ramadan. Stop by the Central Galleria, ground floor on your next visit to City Centre Bahrain to make an impact.