The Emirates Institute for Banking and Financial Studies (EIBFS), a regional leader in banking and finance education and training, hosted a book fair themed ‘Book For Good’ to mark the National Month of Reading.

At Book For Good, EIBFS sold second-hand books donated by individuals. The books, spanning fictional, historical, biographical and educational genres, were sold at AED10 each. The proceeds have been earmarked for underprivileged students requiring financial support. Fun activities were held alongside the sale of the books. A session on ‘How to be a Reader’ was hosted by the Emirati author Iman Al Yousef and aimed to encourage the habit of reading and highlight its importance.

Jamal Al Jassmi, General Manager at EIBFS, said: “We are extremely happy to be a part of the National Month of Reading. The UAE government has always been at the forefront of such initiatives and we are proud to support them. Reading is an extremely important aspect of growth and through platforms such as this book fair our goal is to equip everyone with a lifelong love for reading and to reinforce its benefits. We thank all those who came forward to contribute more than 1000 books for the sale. Their efforts will help ease the financial burden on readers and students.”

A session conducted by author Iman Al Yousef on ‘How to be a Reader’ focused on building the love for reading. Targeting those who do not enjoy reading in particular, it provided easy steps on cultivating and sustaining the literary habit.

In 2017, the UAE Cabinet declared March as the National Month of Reading. Since then, the initiative has offered an opportunity to build the reading culture in the UAE and inculcate the habit among all sections of society. For its part, EIBFS hosts a calendar of events that conform to the priority of the month. The book fair was supported by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) and Future Foresight.