Generation Amazing and Maktaba have teamed up to donate books to Qatar Foundation International (QFI), a member of Qatar Foundation.

The books, which feature inspiring sports-related stories, will be distributed across QFI’s network of schools, which prioritise the teaching of Arabic. The donation was made to mark the Qatar-USA Year of Culture and follows the Qatar national team’s participation in the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

The bilingual books were developed for schoolchildren by Generation Amazing and Maktaba to encourage engagement in sport and promote positive values around social inclusion, healthy living and sustainability. The first batch of books were donated to the Arabic Immersion Magnet School (AIMS) in Houston, Texas – a long-standing partner of QFI – during the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Nasser Al Khori, Generation Amazing Programmes Director, said: “We are delighted to offer young children a chance to learn about the empowering values of sport and all the associated life lessons. This initiative means the legacy of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will live on through future generations, and we are proud to be able to make a meaningful impact in the US on the occasion of the Qatar-USA Year of Culture. Our bilingual books, produced in collaboration with Maktaba, are written by six talented authors, both nationals and current or former residents of Qatar. We believe they will help children get active and learn about all the wonderful lessons we can gain through sport.”

Sarah Champa, Founder of Maktaba, said: “As a children’s library, we are passionate about books and the valuable lessons they transmit. Collaborating with Generation Amazing on this series of children’s books that use football as an inspiration to teach powerful lessons about healthy living, developing more sustainable behaviours and social inclusion, has been inspirational. We are so thrilled to see these books getting into the hands of emerging Arabic speakers in Houston through Qatar Foundation International’s programme to support Arabic language learning in the United States.”

QFI’s Programmes Director, Julia Sylla, said: “QFI is grateful to Generation Amazing for the donation of these high-quality bilingual Arabic-English books. We are excited to share them with Arabic educators and students in the US. We need more resources like these to help further the mission of schools like AIMS, who work to prepare the next generation of global leaders with bilingual backgrounds.”

A number of AIMS students received their books during a special event organised by Generation Amazing in Houston during the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Each student received an Arabic-English football vocabulary poster created by Generation Amazing and QFI.

The books donated were written by Qatar-based authors Maryam Ahmed Alsubaiey, Shaima Al Kuwari, Fatima Bakro, Mary Francis, Basma Khatib and Johanna Handley.

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