Answering a mother's call for help, Aisha Al Shamsi launched “RAK Autism Center," the only facility of its kind in Ras Al Khaimah to support children with autism for low fees.

The greatest value of giving lies in supporting children born with a disability they have never chosen. A plea for help from a mother of an autistic child was enough to prompt Emirati Aisha Al Shamsi to establish the first and only center dedicated to autistic children in Ras Al Khaimah.

In a forum in Ras Al Khaimah, Al Shamsi heard a mother’s desperate request for support to her autistic daughter who had nowhere to go and no one to help. Being part of the organizing team of the forum, Al Shamsi reached out to the mother before approaching a number of volunteers to help establish a center for children with autism.

In 2006, the “RAK Autism Center” was formed to provide a wide variety of services to children with autism and support their families for low fees.

Al Shamsi, however, said she had to borrow money twice to save the center from closure. The center charges low tuition fees for services that cost at least Dh60,000 for one autistic child, sometimes waiving off fees for families unable to afford rehabilitation costs. Al Shamsi often seeks support from local charity organizations to cover children’s expenses.

The rehabilitation center, considered semi-charitable, currently houses 20 children with autism, with 20 more placed on the waiting list.

Al Shamsi is working hard to continue being the source of hope for families in Ras Al Khaimah. She will not stop working towards being the safe haven for autistic children.