'Manzil has been holding art exhibitions with the purpose of generating awareness about the creativity of children and young adults of Manzil' observes Roxanna Jaffer, the hotel's Resident Director.

"It gives us a sense of immense satisfaction to be the first hotel to offer the centre a permanent location to hold its exhibitions. That's what our 'Holiday Inn - Al Barsha Loves You Campaign' is all about - supporting causes that contribute to building a caring society. Our guiding principle is the Hadith of Prophet Mohammed - 'Life isn't worth living unless it's lived for someone else' - which defines our social responsibility to the society we function in," she adds, pointing out that the campaign is integral to the hotel's endeavour to be a socially responsible corporate that cares for the community.

According to Roxana, since the inception of the Campaign the hotel, which champions the human need to 'simply be yourself', has been closely associated with local and international NGOs working with the differently abled or with victims of natural and man-made calamities, conducting support campaigns to generate awareness and raise funds for such social and humanitarian causes. This year, The Holiday Inn - Al Barsha Loves You Campaign" is partnering the World Food Programme (WFP) of the UNICEF, with a commitment to feed 100,000 impoverished children around the world.

Manzil provides quality education and vocational training for children and young adults with special needs, including those with Autism, Downs Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy, most of them from lower income families.

"Manzil's objective is 'inclusion', which means integrating our differently-abled students in schools and society so they can live a life of dignity and pride," says Manzil's Founder-Director Dr Ayesha Saeed Husaini, who won the 2012 Princess Haya Award for Special Education (PHASE) for 'Outstanding General Manager/Director General' in the MENA region.

According to her, Manzil means 'home' in Arabic and home is the family and society the students live in. So the centre teaches them to be independent by addressing their learning differences so they can re-integrate into mainstream schools, developing their daily living skills and enhancing their knowledge and work skills so they can become part of the mainstream workforce.

One Manzil graduate is Nilofar Saleem, who has been supporting her mother and older brother with special needs ever since the sudden death of her father. "I'm alhamdulillah an earning member of my family and I feel proud when I get my salary, which I spend wisely," says Nilofar, whose family won the PHASE award for 'Outstanding Family' in 2010.