Dubai: “Reading books can help us learn and heal. It is like a hospital to the mind,” were the poignant words by then nine-year old Maryam Lehsen Amjoun, who had won the hearts of the Arab world when she was crowned champion of the Arab Reading Challenge, back in October 2018.
She was the youngest finalist out of millions of participants from 44 Arab countries who joined the challenge organised by the Mohammad Bin Rashid Global Initiatives (MBRGI). When her name was announced as the overall champion, the eloquent and confident girl from Morocco burst into tears. Everyone was moved. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, who was onstage to bestow the award, used his own ghutra to wipe Maryam’s tears of joy, in a very emotional scene.