Bodour Al Qasimi sets Kalimat Foundation roadmap for 2026

December 15, 2025 / 1:38 PM

Sharjah24: Her Highness Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Founder and CEO of Kalimat Foundation, presided over the Foundation’s end-of-year Board of Trustees meeting, during which members reviewed key achievements in 2025 and approved the strategic roadmap for 2026. The meeting reaffirmed the Foundation’s mission to empower children through knowledge and to safeguard their right to reading and learning worldwide.

In 2025, Kalimat Foundation expanded its flagship “Pledge a Library” initiative by donating 4,600 Arabic-language books through 46 portable libraries across 42 locations in eight countries, including Brazil, Morocco, Greece, Uganda, and the United Kingdom, reaching children in some of the most underserved communities.

Accessible publishing as a sustainable model

Her Highness Sheikha Bodour emphasised that accessible publishing is a sustainable, long-term model of empowerment, stressing that investing in knowledge creates a lasting impact for children and their communities. She highlighted the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to inclusive publishing, innovation, and developing tools that enable children to engage more deeply with reading and education.

Inclusive literacy and global partnerships

The Board reviewed milestones, including the expansion of the “Ara” initiative for blind and visually impaired children, collaborations with Canon and WIPO, and strengthened humanitarian programmes supporting vulnerable children in the UAE and abroad. The 2026 strategy prioritises scaling inclusive content, expanding partnerships, and reinforcing Kalimat Foundation’s global leadership in cultural philanthropy.